The Black Book directed by Editi Effiong is an action film about a deacon who taps back into his sinful ways to avenge his son's death, absolve him, and give him a proper burial. Paul Edima, deacon and reformed assassin, is played by Richard Mofe-Damijo affectionately known as RMD. At the movie's opening, Edima is a loving father and pillar of his remote community while bearing witness and doing good deeds in the name of his Christian faith. The transformation of Edima from humble Christian to determined marksman without losing his sense of morality was a fine line to walk but pulled off seemingly effortlessly by RMD. His beach scene alone made me want to fly to Lagos, suit up, and join the cause. RMD emoted the stages of grief with surgical precision. When his character finally reached acceptance of the loss and determination to avenge, the movie hit its stride. The supporting cast was filled with some of the writer's Nollywood favorites including: Shaffy Bello, Femi Branch, Iretiola Doyle, Bimbo Manuel, Bimbo Akintola, and the one and only Taiwo Ajai-Lycett. The unexpected breakout actress was Ade Laoye who played Vic, the unrelenting journalist who was researching the murder of Edima's son when her path and Edima's crossed. Vic's scene in the church when she found out who was responsible for her mother's death brought tears to the writer's eyes. This otherwise strong and determined character broke emotionally in a way that was palpable. Ade's Vic evolved with the storyline as though her scenes were shot in sequential order or as though Ade kept the entire story in mind when she shot each scene. Brilliant performance. Also, shout out to the blonde assassin played by Denola Grey. I was expecting big things from him but he was murdered before his third costume change. Pity. Perhaps more of him and less dozens of people holding guns in the air and chasing each other would have fared better.
Though the premise of the story was believable, it sometimes got muddled with all the shootouts. It became difficult at times to figure out who was fighting whom and why or how Nigeria is still a functioning nation with so many warring factions in broad daylight. To be fair, there's a Hollywood blockbuster buster movie director who is notorious for overdoing fight scenes and explosions by having too much going on at once and giving the viewer sensory overload, but his movies are still some of my favorites. So there's that. Overall, it was a really good movie with a cast of heavyweights lead by RMD, beautiful cinematography, and plausible premise. Just use the gang fighting and gun showboating times for a snack break because they don't seem necessary to the story.
