The first wow-factor for me about Gangs of Lagos is the colour stylization. It’s appealing and gritty; and it feels good that more and more Nollywood, and Nigeria-made films as a whole, are drifting away from the typical Bollywood film look that we seem to have come to master. Maybe a bit too contrasty for me in a few scenes but It’s refreshing to see. And without further ado, and without too much spoiler, let’s get down to business.
It’s intriguing to know the kind of relationship or partnership that exist between Jade and Tobi Bakre, because they seem to explode every single time they collide. We don’t get to see too many linear narrations these days but Gangs of Lagos found a way to make that work, with the story told in the first person narrative by Oba. The movie follows the life of Oba, played by Tobi Bakre, right from babyhood to becoming the Eleniyan of Isale-Eko. Meaning the Owner of Men in Lagos Island. Eleniyan is a title that has deep roots in the island region of Lagos, and the price of attaining such position, just as depicted in the movie, is historically bloody.
Oba forms early friendship with Gift, Ify and Teni as kids and would grow up to become inseparable friends. Teni, the daughter of Kazeem, and the new gang lord of Isale Eko, would leave the group to study overseas and would return as an adult. Like his father before him, and later his custodian Nino, Oba would become the heart and sword of Isale Eko; and that’s where the story began to take shape.
Like Oba, the audience would discover that it wasn’t Oba’s story we were following all along, it was instead Kazeem’s story. Kazeem, played by Fakunle Olarotimi, didn’t disappoint because he gave us a show to watch. While it was really easy to guess that Kazeem may have been instrumental to Nino’s early farewell, I didn’t see that connection with Oba’s late father coming.
Hmmm…. Too much spoiler yeah! Forgive me, but permit me to give one more… Teni, by Bimbo Ademoye, would see Oba, her love interest, and Gift, played by Adesua Etomi-Wellington, at the penultimate crime scene at the end of the movie. I could imagine the direction the story would go from there, where we get to ask the question if blood is indeed thicker than water but that’s probably a discussion for another day.
Gangs of Lagos started slow, picked some pacing and somehow lost some of it, but ended on a high. While the movie is a work of fiction, it looks and feels more like a documentary than fiction. If you had lived in Lagos long enough, you’ll realize that every single event in the movie is a reminiscent of real-life event at some point in the rich history of Lagos Island. There was even a one-time event where hoodlums broke into the palace of the king of Lagos and carted away his royal staff which no one beside the reigning king was allow to hold in public. Real life stuffs, so believe me when I say Gangs of Lagos is a perfect documentary of the city that never sleeps. The story setting in itself is the present-day Lagos, mimicking the political tussle that is currently at play in the state as a whole.
I believe the movie is too long. It could have been reduced by fifteen or twenty minutes and still wowed fans and foes alike. That would definitely have increased the pacing, excluded unnecessary details and allowed the audience to get to the fun part faster. The movie pallete looks great but still short of the pallete of Soole which owns a perfect score for me. The colourist could have been a little bit more gentle on the skin temperature as well, knowing that they are dealing with dark skins. The contrasty look makes the talents skin look dead at times.
I’m no actor and knows nothing about that profession but I think I’m beginning to warm up to Adesua Etomi-Wellington. Though I’ve seen her done better stunts in other movies, her performance in Gangs of Lagos is a-bit more eye catching and satisfying for me. The stunts in the movie is generally not there and the choreographs are painstakingly hurtful to see. It’s almost like, are you guys done….? Let’s move on to the next scene. The editing approach probably saved face for the stunts and it should be an area Jade Osiberu invest more time in going forward if she’s sticking to the thriller-hood genre. Tobi Bakre picked up where he left off in Brotherhood, and at some point, I wondered if we’re going to see Basket Mouth in the movie too. I think Tobi should start auditioning for Hollywood studios; he has it!
The movie introduced enough cliffhangers to deserved a sequel. Whether that’s happening anytime soon is a different conversation but I believe it’s something both Prime Video and Jade would be interested in. I hope Jade maintain the linear storytelling and first-person narration, but also give a bit more screen time to the likes of Adesua, and Bimbo Ademoye.
Before I call it a wrap…
The sound is generally good and maybe a few original soundtracks will be cool too in a possible sequel. There are some really nice aerial shots that allowed audiences to imagine themselves somewhere down there in Lagos. Gangs of Lagos is a story that was begging to be told and I’m glad someone visionary enough yielded.
A fair rating for Gangs of Lagos would be a seven. Till next time….
A storyteller and film enthusiast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ebakintunde, make we relate further.