Summary – This movie tells the story of an all powerful thief named Ageshinkole. He is ruthless, fearless and unstoppable.
The most powerful forces in the Kingdom of Ajeromi decide to join hands together to destroy this enemy but even that is not enough to eliminate Ageshinkole; The King of thieves.
I liked this movie a lot.
If you grew up watching Yoruba movies, then you should be familiar with this kind of plot. However, this movie might be similar to something you have seen in the past but yet, it is very different.
What makes this movie very compelling is the storytelling technique. The plot progressed coherently, the twists and turns worked, they carried the audience along every step of the way and when we got to the final destination, we were not disappointed.
It’s possible you have seen people describe this movie as an Epic movie but what does that even mean? Epics are historical films that recreate past events, they emphasize the trappings of a period and they require elaborate settings, authentic period costumes, grand decor and a large casts of characters to mention a few.
The movie King of thieves stays true to the movie genre it represents. Like a historical epic should, it transport us to a particular era in a specific Yoruba kingdom. We see lavish and authentic costumes, we see clear representations of the diverse religious and cultural aspects of the Yoruba tribe. The decor, the language, the dialogue showed that someone paid attention to details.
Permit me to say that King of thieves is an unapologetic display of some of the things that we typically demonize about the Yoruba culture such as their gods, their rituals, festivals, chants and incantations. At some point, I thought in my head; these guys are just showing off!
Showing off the beauty that is the Yoruba culture and I loveeet!
The setting, lights, decor, makeup and especially the effects (e.g the disappearing and appearing, thunder and the wind storms) worked perfectly.
Let’s talk about the sound. I don’t know so much about what goes on in terms of choosing and creating sounds for a movie but the sound in this movie was so moving. The choice of songs, the arrangement, the tempo, everything was just really good. It was deep, it spoke to us, every scene had a unique character as a result of the sound. Whoever was responsible for designing and arranging the sound for this movie deserves a round of applause.
Acting and casting was another major win. It was good to see veteran nollywood actors like Dele Odule, Adebayo Salami and Peju Ogunmola. The other actors such as Odunlade, Toyin Abraham, Lateef Adedimeji and Ibrahim Chatta all delivered.
Special accolades to Femi Adebayo for the stellar performance. The eyes, the expressions, the attitude, infact, it was everything for me.
I really loved how they communicated different emotions in this movie. Even in the midst of all the strife and drama, they infused comedy but not in the way we are used to. It was subtle, timely and actually funny.
We laughed a lot
We were moved to tears a number of times and most importantly, we cheered!
People were legit shouting and clapping in the cinema. It was astounding that we were cheering, not for Spider-Man or Superman but for Ageshinkole and Oguntade.
Did I have some issues while watching? Yes
I would have liked to know how Ageshinkole became so powerful. Reincarnation is a popular concept among the Yorubas but it does not automatically give you powers, so how did he become so powerful? I would have liked them to spell out how and why burying Oguntade alive was the best way to defeat Ageshinkole.
Mobonuola (played by Toyin Abraham ) was shot one time but there were 3 bullet holes in her leg.
But those issues can be overlooked because after all is said and done, this movie was well thought out.
I liked the themes they explored such as friendship, betrayal, revenge. Before I round, I’ll like to mention some random things that stood out for me:
- Marry the right person o. Oguntade almost lost his life because of the troublesome woman he married. May we not marry who will kill us.
- When there is so much chaos in the land, the rulers or leaders don’t really do anything until the mayhem touches them. The king did not really do anything noteworthy about the killings until Ageshinkole killed his son. We see this everyday in Nigeria today, the people in power are not doing anything because they cannot relate. The pain, suffering and deaths are too far away. God help us.
Overall, this was a good watch. Compelling story, memorable performances, historical pageantry at its finest and a compilation of moving sounds. A masterpiece and a landmark achievement for Yoruba Nollywood.
Rating: 8/10
Have you seen it? Do you agree with this review? Share your feedback in the comments section below.
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