Gangs of Lagos

Gangs of Lagos is Amazon Prime’s first African original and a creation of Jade Osiberu. The film tells the story of Oba, Ify and Gift — three kids who grew up on the streets of Isale Eko, an area ruled by politically affiliated gangs. They soon get caught up in gang wars which help them to uncover secrets and eventually realize their full potential.

The film, starring Tobi Bakre, Tayo Faniran, Adesua Etomi, Bimbo Ademoye, Chike-Ezekpeazu Osebuka, Iyabo Ojo and Toyin Abraham, amongst others, gives us a glimpse into the injustice in Lagos, Nigeria, and the glaring inequalities between rich and poor in the society.

An energetic start

The film begins with a really nice introduction from the film’s main character, Obalola, who is aptly named as his name in Yoruba means Prince or literally the one who will be the next King. Oba explains the significance of the Eyo masquerade — really great symbolism used to introduce the King of the gangs of Lagos, and an impending change in government.

This change in government is made clear when a man dressed as an Eyo masquerade walks into a house and shoots another man in cold blood, with his wife and newborn in sight — the man who we later realize is Oba’s father who was killed for opposing a dangerous political candidate, the one whose family is still in power 20 years later.

The narration really helped to introduce the film’s characters and put the whole story together, leaving less room for us to wonder who a new character was or where they came from.

From shooting a man to kids stealing from a car in traffic, to men stealing from containers and struggling musicians swallowing drugs, we were provided with a fantastic introduction into the world we were about to witness in Gangs of Lagos.

What I loved

I loved that we were given a bit of time to see Oba as a kid, to fully understand who he was and what he would become as an adult.

I also loved the fact that they didn’t elongate the love story aspect of the film. It came and went naturally as it was supposed to — that wasn’t the main focus.

The film blessed us with some of the best shots of Lagos State, from the swamps in Makoko to the yellow buses in Isale Eko, to the beautiful views of the sea from Teni’s Banana Island apartment.

The colour hues were consistent throughout, helping us resonate emotionally with the characters at each point when they moved from hope to hopelessness and then from loyalty to vengeance, and back to hope again.

Characters I enjoyed watching

My favorite characters were Oba, Gift and Ify as kids. I loved that they gave them enough screen time for us to understand their friendship and just simply enjoy their stellar performances. Nollywood is coming back into the era of having children that can actually act on screen and not the bland ones we usually get. What made it even more special was the great dialogue between them — they got to switch seamlessly between really good English, Yoruba, and Pidgin and it felt so natural. I’m really loving how naturally writers are infusing our local languages into Nollywood films — it makes it look a lot more authentic.

Unsurprisingly, my next favorite was Tobi Bakre. After watching Brotherhood, I was excited to see him again as a gangsta. He was a very balanced character. He was a loyal follower who was not the type to plot a revenge mission however, when the time came for him to step up as a leader, he gathered the troops and did what needed to be done. I’m really glad he didn’t let some childhood crush stop him!

I also really enjoyed Tayo Faniran’s performance. He was a cool, smooth gangsta. His outfits were so beautiful with his colorful shirts and leather pants. He played the character of Nino really well. We only saw him for a short time but he made a real impact.

This review will be incomplete without mentioning Eniola Badmus and Iyabo Ojo. We need to give these women more screen time because they are super talented.

I was really hoping I won’t have to say this but Adesua’s character was not very believable. She should have been Teni. Bimbo Ademoye is a more versatile actress who could have done well as both Teni and Gift but I guess they cast Adesua for her combat abilities, and some strange man can’t be kissing Pastor Banky’s wife like that 😂. Anyway, she stuck out like a sore thumb. She’s not ghetto material. Yes she is a good actress, yes she acted well but I’m not sure this role was for her. I honestly don’t think I’ve enjoyed watching Adesua in any film after The Wedding Party. Producers need to stop making her seem versatile and just focus on her strengths for now so we can actually get the best of her.

Standout moments

• Makeup moments during the three major deaths in the film— Ninos gunshot wound, Pana’s butchering , Kareem’s death— Class act! Nigerians should take a cue from this team on how to film major deaths.
• Pasuma fighting in a suit? Bloody fantastic — everything dark and in slow motion — sick!!!
• The combat???? The combattt. You can tell they took their time training for this and it really paid off. I had to rewind and watch the fighting scenes a few times for them to really sink in.

What a timely film. The film has been released during a time of great injustice in Nigeria, a time when the youth are seeking drastic change and looking to reclaim the ownership of our country.

It seems like Jade Osiberu is trying to carve a niche for herself in this genre and we’re here for it. Overall, Gangs of Lagos delivered on a great story, flawless dialogue, crisp cinematography and seamless chemistry between the characters. It’s a solid 8/10 from me.

Maybe we will get a part two with Teni coming back to avenge her father’s death 👀👀.