Review: The CEO (2016 Film)

Monday, February 20, 2017
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
Written by: Tunde Babalola
Director: Kunle Afolayan
                  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
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Overall Score = 12/20
Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm0pmb0CXxg




3 comments

  1. Endabwedi Says:

    Very detailed analysis! I appreciate how you capture each point based on technique.
    will consider this again after I watch the movie.

  2. Endabwedi Says:

    Very detailed analysis! I appreciate how you capture each point based on technique.
    will consider this again after I watch the movie.

  3. Endabwedi Says:

    Very detailed analysis! I appreciate how you capture each point based on technique.
    will consider this again after I watch the movie.

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