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Tell me at least one african movie. One which is directed, produced and played by African people on African soil and African Language. It's hard, isn't it? Well, in Africa there're two emerging movie industries: Nollywood, set in Nigeria, and Wakaliwood, set in Uganda. So, I could make this introduction serious by talking about the origin of Wakaliwood and stuff like that but I don't think I will.
PLOT
"Uganda's president gives Captain Alex the mission to defeat the Tiger Maffia, but Alex gets killed in the process. Upon hearing the tragic news, his brother investigates to avenge Alex"...I think, I'm not sure. The fact is that it's a clear till, out of the blue, it isn't.
SCRIPT
This movie is insane, bonkers, wild and insane. There're a lot of stereotypes like the gangster, the soldier, the floozy, the shaolin master of kung fu(?) and the reporter. None of them, not even the main character, Captain Alex, get a decent development, in fact there's no development whatsoever. The events are somehow logical but sometimes it loses it. Technicalities are down the drain here but there seems to be an idea, a genuine story to be told. First we have to consider that there are multiple tributes to action movies like Commando, Game of Death and Enter the Dragon. Sometimes it goes beyond a simple tribute and it shows the genre's cliches, which could be cringeworthy. The other thing that make the movie interesting is the, voluntary or involuntary, references to real events which happened in Uganda, like the clash between local army and organized crime. There're also some scene where the movie seems to endorse women objectification and abuse but...I think that I'm overthinking it.
Script: 2/10
ACTING
Another painful aspect. It's so bad, like really bad, that after a while it seems inoffensive. One thing saves the movie from being a boring trainwreck: VJ Emmie. His narration is bombastic, spry, sarcastic and over the top. His laugh will be stuck in your brain, I assure you. It's strange at first but, if you're open minded, you could appreciate it. Otherwise it'll be hard to get through 60 minutes of it.
Acting: 2/10
PHOTOGRAPHY
It's understandably bad. At least it's clear what's happening on screen because it's all shot during daytime.
Photography: 2/10
EDITING
Casual long slow motion, sudden cuts and a shaky camera. Sometimes it seems intentional, sometimes seems bad, sometimes seems comical. Some shots are "ok" but they're lost in an ocean of awful. I've almost lost myself in it.
Editing: 2/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Look above. This is an 85$ movie "cgi". What did you expect?
Special Effects: 1/10
SOUNDTRACK
Mamma Mia! by ABBA and Kiss From A Rose by Seal pop up out of nowhere. I think that the soundtrack has a comedic role in this movie. Obviously I don't know if it was intentional. Maybe this movie was a musical and I didn't know about it. The transitions between every track are not smooth and some tracks, like all of them, are being reiterated.
Soundtrack: 1/10
COSTUMES
This is unexpected. They are decent and coherent with the character's role. Naturally they aren't what you would expect by an Hollywood's production but considering the budget they make sense.
Costumes: 5/10
CONCLUSION
Script: 2/10
Acting: 2/10
Photography: 2/10
Editing: 2/10
Special Effects: 1/10
Soundtrack: 1/10
Costumes: 5/10
AVERAGE: 2,14
The "best action packed Ugandan movie" is a trashy masterpiece but it's beautiful in its ugliness. Despite all its flaws is a passionate work by an humble and proud people. It deserves to be appreciated, because beauty is hidden under the surface, like a gem waiting to be discovered.
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Director: Nabwana I.G.G.
Screenplay: Nabwana I.G.G.
Cast: Kakule William, Sseruyna Ernest, Bukenya Charlse, Nakyambadde Prossy
Soundtrack: Kizito Vicent
Cinematography: Nabwana I.G.G.
Running Time: 68 minutes
Budget: $85-$200
