Went to see this one in cinemas in Nigeria and was
enthralled by the storyline—top managers from all over around Africa vying for
the title of global CEO? Yes!
“A story of
intrigue, power and all the political/financial struggles of modern day Africa.”
The Rundown
Behind
the name: The Chief
Operating Officer
Country: Nigeria, 2016
Genre: Thriller,
Drama
Cast: Wale Ojo (as Kola), Angélique Kidjo (as Dr. Zara
Zimmerman), Hilda Dokubo (as Superintendent
Ebenezer), Nico Panagio (as Riikard), Jimmy Jean-Louis (as Jean-Marc), Fatym
Layachi (as Yasmin), Peter King Nzioki (as Jomo), Kemi Lala Akindoju (as Lisa)
Compare to: Itself
Hate it or Love
it? Like it
Synopsis in a Sentence: Top managers from all over
Africa meet in Lagos, Nigeria to compete for the CEO spot, but will any of them
live to take the no.1 spot?
On Writing: The Plot
The story is unique and quite new, at least for
Nollywood’s typical fixation on family dramas, so points for that! Also, we get
to see continental representation of Africa, including the North! Otherwise the
story is relatively disjointed and a bit patchy, and with a few unbelievable
bits, but at least points for exploring a new storyline, right?
(3/5)
On Acting: The Cast
The cast is quite famous and very diverse and that’s
by far the highlight; perhaps a wonderful cast would have taken the alright
storyline and made it almost great, but quite honestly, the cast was just like
the plot—alright; perhaps not because the actors were bad, but because they
weren’t cast correctly. For Example, acclaimed actress Hilda Dokubo makes her
big come back in this movie, after what seems like 20 years, and she’s cast to
play a super-charged, super aggressive inspector; which is not the best choice
for her, because the legendary actress we know from the 90s is famed for
playing the sweetest, saddest characters, and this role is simply not her,
especially after she’s spent so much time away from the big screen. And then
there’s Angelique Kidjo, legendary Grammy-award-winning musician, but she is
not quite her character here.
But the best actor goes
to Peter King Nzioki, who
plays the top manager from Kenya. He is absolutely convincing and believable,
which is much needed from this picture!
(3/5)
On Production: The
Creativity
Production is the
best thing in this movie! The shots are gorgeous and we get to see Lagos in a
new light! A far cry from the hustle and bustle and craziness of the city, we
see the touristic part of Nigeria’s largest city in the most gorgeous way! And
the actors and the plot are saved by the magic that is production. A job well;
very well done!
(4/5)
On Resolution: The
Conclusion
So much to say here but let’s get straight to the
point—the resolution is quite a fail. Mostly for the premise of the conclusion,
it’s incomplete and unconvincing, and haphazard resolution. Don’t believe it?
Watch and see—even if just for that.
(2/5)
The Verdict: A good watch;
novel storyline and outlook to African actors, but overall, average
Overall Score = 12/20
Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm0pmb0CXxg
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