GANGS OF LAGOS

GANGS OF LAGOS: JADE OSIBERU PICKS UP FROM WHERE SHE LEFT OFF AT “BROTHERHOOD”

Be it a movie or series, there’s that one thing about well scripted action movies, they leave us captivated!

Jade Osiberu is gradually making a name in the thriller world, as she takes off from where she left off at “Brotherhood” with “Gangs of Lagos”

Gangs of Lagos holds the story background at Isale Eko, a land filled with the cultural diversities of the Lagos indigenes.

The beginning scenes show a young boy named Obalola (Tobi Bakare) threatening to kill a woman if she refused to surrender her purse. Initially thinking he was joking, she declined, but upon spotting a knife, she accepted. This incident caused him to be summoned to the “leader of the streets,” as the woman is an “omo aiye.”

Due to his courage and intellect, a gang leader named Nino is interested in him, becoming his second father figure. Unfortunately, Nino dies, causing Obalola to rely on a life of crime with his best friends, Gift (Adesua Etomi-Wellington) and Ify (Chike Osebuka). They start to work for a greedy and ruthless gang leader, Kazeem(Olarotimi Fakunle).

Things get heated when Kazeem murders one of the gang leaders, pinning it on Oba’s friends, this accusation leads to his death, which enrages Oba and the street members, and later causes a war where bloodshed and destruction are the order of the day.

Before the debut of Gangs Of Lagos, fans anticipated what Jade Osiberu would bring after she hit a soft spot in Nigerian movie lovers’ hearts with her previous films Brotherhood’ (2022) and ‘The Trade’, both of which are streaming on Prime Video haven done their rounds in the cinemas.

Gangs of Lagos is told from a relatable point for the average Lagosian. It is a story of the life of the lower-class Lagosians living in Isale Eko and the pipeline of thuggery from ordinary street thugs ‘Area Boy’ to top political figures.

The movie’s production started in 2020, and Osiberu’s plot raises the intriguing question of whether she has the time-traveling prowess to make the daring decision to focus the story on political issues that are crucial to Lagosians, particularly at a time when elections have just ended. The narrative of the movie almost perfectly corresponds to the reports of election violence and vote buying that has been circulating on social media platforms.

A Production of GREOH Studios, the movie was produced by Jade Osiberu and a few others and also directed by Jade Osiberu.

The cinematography for Gangs of Lagos is top-tier, as the various elements make each scene aesthetically appealing for the nature of its genre. An additional ambitious cinematic part that paid off was the locations. It is remarkable to see that the movie was shot at places that can be found in the real-life Isale Eko. The locations used were without doubt very good and vital to the substance of the plot.

And oh, great job by Black Kamaru “Terrible” , he did bring a lot of laughs, he brought quite some humour with his antics. Zlatan also looked very comfortable in his role, I wish to see him in other movies like this.

An overall great and entertaining watch; a loophole in this was just the Yoruba speaking, it felt very off, Tobi Bakre and Adesua Etomi Wellington really struggled with the Yoruba language, it was quite obvious.

Also the way Kazeem was killed at the end looked like a fantasy, was the writer telling us that a vengeful Obalola who was in a rage of vengeance could have easily given up to be killed that way by Kazeem? That scene looked a little unreal.

Meet the main Cast: Tobi Bakare, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Chike Osebuka, Chioma Chukwuka, Olarotimi Fakunle, Chioma Chukwuka, Bimbo Ademoye, Iyabo Ojo, Zlatan, Debo “Mr Maraconi” Adedayo, Yhemolee, Pasuma, Toyin Abraham, Tayo Faniran, Damilola Ogunsi, Black Kamaru and Funke Williams.

A very interesting watch, grab your Popcorn and drink, and relax for an entertaining ride.

Star Performer(s)– Tobi Bakre and Chioma Akpotha

Tobi Bakre: Being the lead cast in this, Tobi brought his A-game on, facial expressions, acting, everything was on point, though it was quite obvious he struggled with the Yoruba language. However, great job still.

Chioma Akpotha:  It would be injustice not to mention Chioma’s amazing performance in this, she played the role of an aggrieved mother so well, you could almost feel it really happened to her. She was incredible in this.

Can do better Performer- Nil

Nollywood has far begun very careful Cast selection.