MOVIE REVIEW: Shanty Town: Despite cliche plot, Chidi Mokeme delivers extraordinary performance

Movie title: Shanty Town

Release date: January 20, 2023

Run time: an average of 30 minutes per episode

Director: Dimeji Ajibola

Cast: Richard Mofe-Damijo, Ini Edo, Chidi Mokeme, Nse Ekpe-Etim, Shola Shobowale, Shaffy Bello, Ali Nuhu, Uche Jombo, Zubby Michael, Nancy Isime, Yaw Naija, Omowunmi Dada, Mercy Eke, Shola Sobowale, Regina Daniels, Judith Audu and Peter Okoye.

Have you ever watched a movie and said to yourself, “If only there were more details, this movie would be fun?”

From the stables of popular streaming platform, Netflix, comes Shanty Town, an action drama series that explores the lives of sex workers, gang leaders, and corrupt politicians in Lagos.

As the first original Netflix project in 2023, there are high expectations for the six-part series.

Apart from the teaser material and cast announcement, the Shanty Town venue is just enough to keep our fingers crossed in anticipation of some exciting Nigerian dramas.

Upon release, Shanty Town could easily be described as mid-scale. Apart from the excellent acting performances, the series lacks any sense of originality and seems to be a good example of what happens when the stories of Oloture, King of Boys, and Blood Sisters are combined into one.

Plot

A flashback takes us to the community of Shangisha, where we see a mother and two daughters running away from some bandits. Unfortunately, when they were about to escape, one of the princesses was shot.

Today, we see a ruthless leader named Scar (Chidi Mokeme), who deals with some shady deals. Also, he is considered the king of the community called Shantytown. We see him talking to an accountant (Ali Nuhu), a representative of a higher authority.

After a meeting between Scar and the accountant, Scar goes to a party held for Jackie (Mercy Ike), a former prostitute in Shanty Town.

At her freedom party, Jackie proposes the idea of ​​gaining freedom to Shalewa (Nancy Isime), a sex worker and another friend. Shalewa was excited by the prospect, and she was thrilled when Jackie promised to lend her the money.

It doesn’t go as planned when Scar reveals that Shalewa owes him more than he thought.

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Meanwhile, another character, Inem (Ini Edo), is released from prison. We are made to know that she was once a sex worker in Shanty Town but left because of the role she played in drug crimes.

In the second episode, the person Scar is working with is finally revealed to be Chief Fernandez (Richard Mofe-Damijo), a politician. With the election coming, Chief Fernandez asked that Scar cut back some of his illegal activities, which does not sit well with the crime lord.

When Scar returns to Shanty Town, he kills an unsuspecting Jackie and is kidnapped by the Governor, Dame Dabota (Shaffy Bello), who proposes a plan.

To carry out his plan to destroy Chief Fernandez, Scar enlists the help of Shalewa, who has formed a connection with Chief Frenadez’s son, Femi (Peter Okoye).

In a bid to speed up the process of having Femi fall from his father, Scar gave Shalewa a Charm to use on him.

Subsequent episodes bring shocking revelations, as Inem is a secret agent who wants to avenge the death of his twin sister. g were two brothers at the beginning of the movie.

Inem decides to free Moji (Nse Ekpe-Etim) and other women in Shanty Town by devising a plan to get rid of Scar.

During their lunch date, Femi and Shalewa are kidnapped by Dame Dobota and taken to a hideout. After several attempts to kill Chief Fernandez, the chaos caused both sides to attack by attacking; Fernandez’s head escaped. However, his victory was short-lived when he was captured.

The Good

Shanty Town is a great testament to how many Nollywood actors have grown by perfecting their craft. The acting performance given by the cast was very professional and had a pleasing effect on the audience.

Where do we even begin? Did Chidi Okoreme send chills down our spines through the role of Scar, Ini Edo made us root for Inem because of her versatility, Mercy Eke, who, despite being given a few scenes, made us love her and cry when Jackie died. , or Shaffy Bello, who doesn’t deliver lines but adds subtle social cues to make people more trustworthy?

Cinematography is another good feature of the film. The amount of skill that goes into filming each scene is evident. One scene that serves as a good example to support this point is the opening scene, where we are introduced to the Shangisha community. Everything from camera angles to bomb effects kept us on the edge of our seats.

There are also tical satires that reference various problems affecting ety. Although hidden, one can easily associate some characters to a certain individual.

The Comeback

As mentioned earlier, Chidi Okoreme gave an excellent acting performance. His role as Chidi hits the ball out of the park. Besides portraying the complexities behind the character, he reminds us why we call him the OG Nollywood bad boy.

This will be the actor’s first role in a significant budget film in the last five years. The release of Shanty Town is a comeback for the talented actor who starred in early 2000s films such as Abuja connection, Blood Battle, Anini, Savior and Last Kobo.

The Bad

While Shanty Town has a great concept behind it, some of the tropes in the film lack originality. Instead of taking a new spin on tropes, Shanty Town follows the cliche route and focuses more on visual effects and stunts.

For example, gang leaders who work for politicians have done it before; the woman who wants revenge on the twins is also done; two political rivals determined to make each other fall; and the sexualization of women through prostitution as some crime dramas into the storyline.

The script is made worse, as watching a Shanty town can leave you wondering where the story is going and what’s up with the cheesy dialogue. It’s also predictable, because during the opening scene, one can assume that if the twins who were shot didn’t die, then the characters will walk in the storyline.

The movie drags a lot because of some unnecessary shots. For example, the dance scene during Jackie’s independence party could have been shown in a few minutes, and the fight scene between the supporters felt like the producers were trying to convey how the stunts worked.

Slow down like Nollywood writers rely on the theme of “juju” to explain how villains gain power and become invincible. While it’s good for the writers to explore certain cultural elements, this series is painful.

The final verdict

6/10. Watch it. Shanty Town may not have been a great way to start the year, but the acting and cinematography are excellent.

Shanty Town is now streaming on Netflix.