Gripping political drama with stellar performances

Movie Title: War: Wrath and Revenge

Release Date: 28 December, 2023

Directors: Dimbo Atiya

Runtime: 30 minutes per episode

Cast: Mofe Duncan, Rahama Sadau, Yakubu Mohammed, Patrick Doyle, Ayoola Ayolola, Ifeanyi Kalu, Theresa Edem, Bikiya Graham Douglas, Daniel Okosun, Maikudi “Cashman”, Mickey Odeh, Sophia Muhammed, Uzee Usman, Padita Agu and Ahide Adum.

The year 2023 is over, but the films it gave us in its later months have made a mark in the Nigerian film industry, from Funke Akindele’s A Tribe Called Judah, which broke box office records, to Netflix’s decision to explore the political tension among Northern players during elections.

Political drama is not an entirely new phenomenon in Nollywood, citing the likes of Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys, 4th Republic, and an unforgettable classic by the talented Tunde Kelani, Saworide.

While many of these films are great, they mostly reflect Western and Eastern elements in terms of setting and characters. It wasn’t until 2016 when Ebonylife released Sons of Caliphate that Nigerians were properly exposed to a cinematic depiction of fictional political warfare in the northern region of the country.

After a five-year hiatus, Son of Caliphate returned as part of a partnership between Netflix and Ebonylife. However, it was presented as a spin-off titled War: Wrath and Revenge.

War: Wrath and Revenge pick up from the previous events in the earlier seasons of “Sons of Caliphate.” We are reintroduced to some familiar faces. The first season revolves around Binta and Nuhu, who navigate the corrupt and dangerous political waters of a fictional northern state, Kowa. When secrets from their pasts start to catch up to them, they consider resorting to devious ways to emerge unscathed.

The six-episode political drama, produced by Mo Abudu to a certain extent, offered a breath of fresh air when compared with other 2023 films. The series possessed a sense of nuanced storytelling, featured some stellar acting performances, boasted good locations, and provided a moral lesson on the lengths people are willing to go for political power. Unfortunately, its potential is somewhat diminished by gaps in the plot, mediocre or lazy writing in the ending, little character development, and below-average acting performances from a few actors.

The Plot

The community of Nanji is thrown into chaos when a group of bandits attacks mine workers, killing some of the people present. In a bid to boost his popularity among voters, Nuhu, a gubernatorial candidate, and his wife, Binta, visited the community to express their sympathy for the people. It is later revealed that the bandits were sent by Kowo’s present governor, Governor Sanusi, who hopes to claim rare gems buried within the grounds of the village. The next few episodes see Nuhu and Binta developing strategies on how to sabotage Governor Sanusi, who hopes to get re-elected. Their hopes are almost lost as they feel like Governor Sanusi has the upper hand when he receives the endorsement of the Emir. Fortunately, the Emir dies in a plane crash, thus leveling the political field between both parties.

The heiress of the aviation company, Alicia, that provided the plane for the Emir, comes under fire for allegedly tampering with the system and killing the Emir. Disturbed and scared, Alice tries to look for a solution. Her boyfriend and a prominent member of the royal family, Buba, proposes marriage to keep her safe from the wrath of his family. She refuses; a decision that would later cost her greatly. Meanwhile, Nuhu and Binta deal with their demons. Binta discovers Nuhu is having extramarital affairs and comes face-to-face with a ghost of the past.

After winning the elections, the parties involved brought out their big guns, ready to go to war even if it would claim everything and everyone they loved.

The Good

Someone needs to give Rahama Sadau her flowers, as the actress delivered a superb performance. Her role as Binta allowed her to tap into different ranges of emotions. She sold the audience on being a conniving, ambitious woman who is not scared to get her hands dirty.

The way she delivered her lines and owned a scene was spectacular. Another standout cast member was Ifeanyi Kalu, who played the sweet and kind Buba, who later turns out to be worse than the devil. He was able to balance the scale between innocent and sinister. A few of the other cast members also delivered.

The cinematography was top-notch. The lighting was adequate, the locations used seemed relevant in buttressing the realism of scenes, and camera movement was delivered to a certain extent.

War: Wrath and Revenge also taps into a different aspect of indigenous storytelling, i.e., the exploration of Northern culture. It was inspiring to see a story about Northern characters that did not rely on outdated stereotypes. Language is a final pro for this film, as the writer found a way for characters to infuse Hausa while speaking English, thus adding a depth of believability to the series.

The Bad

There were inconsistencies in the plotline. It felt like a lot, and nothing was happening at the same time. The events that progressed in the series made it hard to keep up. One can easily assume that this slip is a disadvantage of not watching the original series. Despite this, there were some major gaps in the plot holes.

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The way the bad events led back to Buba seemed illogical because there were no traces in the beginning. His huge involvement in the orchestration of the evil plan felt like an afterthought to the writers.

While some actors sold the audience with their roles, others were forgettable. This was caused by their inability to deliver their lines and fully translate the essence of their characters onto the screen. The ending of the series was unexpected.

Although it was imminent that karma was bound to befall the bad guys, the road to it felt so linear and super easy. All it took was for Alicia to speak to a reporter to get the bad guys who hold high political power arrested. It would have been fun to have no one believe her at first, but through investigations, the truth comes to light. Or an elaborate plan should be devised to expose the corrupt perpetrators of the hideous crimes.

Final Verdict

7/10. Watch it.

War: Wrath and Revenge is a political drama that offers a thrilling level of suspense that would keep you glued to your seats, unable to predict the outcomes.

War: Wrath and Revenge is streaming on Netflix.