“Angel Eyes”, released in cinemas on 2nd February, boasts a production team of Kafilet Lewis, Samsideen Alabi Newton, Yemi Amodu, and Kitan Bukola. The movie was written by Samsideen Alabi Newton.
When the movie unfolded, we were initially confused, and it took some time before we slowly began to unravel the plot and understand the essence of the movie; we’ll tell you why in a bit.
The ensemble cast of the movie blends new actors with some seasoned actors, including Black Kamaru who played Nurudeen, Kiitan Bukola who played Jadesola, Okunsanya Lolade, Jude Chukwuka, Yemi Blaq, Ngozi Nwosu, Bolanle Ninalowo, Jide Kosoko, Dele Odule, and Tina Mbah among others.
Set in Lagos State, the movie follows the story of Jadesola, a beautiful woman who goes down a perilous path when she plays with the emotions of a dangerous suitor, Nurudeen, played by Black Kamaru.
The storyline and plot structure of the movie is almost chaotic as we cannot fully grasp what is happening in the movie until mid-way through the movie because every scene introduces new characters; for instance, in one scene, we see Jadesola, and in the next, it’s her friend, next a politician and his daughter, there were too many sub-plot in the movie, it became overwhelmingly distracting hindering a cohesive viewing experience.
We also couldn’t understand the rationale behind Nurudeen’s maltreatment of Jadesola, we had different guesses until Nurudeen finally told us, the viewers and the Police Chief played by Yemi Blaq what the lady did to him.
Another challenge involves instances in the movie where Nurudeen or other characters spoke in Yoruba language, and there was no interpretation or caption to indicate what they said. This can be a turn-off for non-Yoruba movie enthusiasts as it creates a barrier to their understanding of certain dialogues, hindering their overall enjoyment of the film.
Meanwhile, the movie’s cast did a great job bringing the movie to life. While there were commendable efforts with character development, we can’t see the connection between Jadesola and the pastor at the beginning of the movie to Jadesola for the rest of the movie,
How exactly did innocent Jade, who viciously refused the sexual advances of the pastor, turn to Jadesola, who openly flirted with and invited a man to her house for a one-night stand? We have no idea. This shows shallow character development at play.
On the flip side, the team did a great job with Black Kamaru’s character, Nurudeen. They gave us every nitty gritty detail about his character, and he owned his villainous persona so well it was great. The character Fresh Money added a delightful touch to the movie as he always went about the movie hyping up everyone; it was hilarious.
In terms of the visual aspect, the camera work, lighting, and overall visual composition of the movie could be better, as there were scenes that were not so bright. Also, the soundtrack in the movie could have received more attention. The pacing, editing, and overall of the movie are commendable.
The production team did great with the set, costume, and aesthetic appeal, as their costumes vividly depicted their characters’ personalities, and the audience could easily grasp their roles from the set display. The use of props and aesthetics is striking; for instance, the scene where Nurudeen cuts his team member’s fingers off is wild as the bloody props displayed on the table look like her actual severed fingers.
Overall, the messages passed throughout the movie are vivid. It depicts how love is not a game, and people’s emotions should not be toyed with, as we never know the extent to which they will go for revenge when finally pushed to the wall or even how deeply they get hurt by the people they love.
Furthermore, the movie also depicts the murky world of politics, shedding light on how politicians get thugs to do their dirty jobs, particularly assassination. It raises awareness about how these thugs take the fall when they get busted, as we only see Nurudeen with the police and not the politicians or the thugs known as the senior men.
The movie also depicts the consequences of greed and the unhealthy pursuit of money as we see what happens to Jadesola.
Conclusively, we will say that “Angel Eyes” delivered its messages although it took a while before we grasped the central theme they were trying to pass to the viewers.
Even with the numerous sub-plots that made understanding the movie almost chaotic, the movie passes a very important message: people’s emotions should not be toyed with for selfish gains as there are dire consequences to these actions sometimes.
From us at Kemi Filani, it’s 5.5/10 for the movie “Angel Eyes”.
