This movie follows the story of Jedidiah Judah – a single mother and her 5 sons. She falls sick and her sons decide to rob a mall to steal money to pay for her surgery. Unfortunately, things don’t go as smoothly as they planned.
I don’t have a lot to say about this movie. Some people would love it, some would hate it, and some people (like me) would be indifferent.
What worked?
The story was not bad. In fact, I see what the appeal would be for most people; it is a simple one and does not require a lot of effort to follow.
The setting was okay. I liked the house they used; it looked very “lived in.” Makeup, effects, and costume worked. I won’t say anything about the unnecessary gooey makeup they applied to Jedidah’s eyes following her partial stroke or the fact that as the film progressed, some of the injuries looked like someone was painting and the blood splashes in some scenes looked off….generally, they made it work.
I liked the way they introduced Jedidah’s 5 sons for the first time. They were able to establish each person’s personality almost immediately.
Acting and casting worked to a large extent. Funke Akindele is a good actress, so of course, she did not do a bad job. Although I must say she did not bring anything special to this performance. As for the sons, Jide Kene who played the role of Emeka and Olumide Oworu who played the role of Ejiro were the only ones who tried to give what we would call nuanced performances, as for the others, it was just really one-dimensional, they showed up and delivered their lines, nothing extra.
The characters they created were not bad, but my favorite characters were Ejiro and Testimony. They were annoying but cute. The only time I laughed in this movie, it had to do with them. I particularly disliked Uzor Arukwe’s character. He was once again typecast in this film, portraying the Igbo man with his exaggerated accent and flashy outfits. Meanwhile, he played the exact same role in the movie “Bank Alert,” same Igbo accent, same money laundering issue. I couldn’t appreciate the character in this film.
Moving on, one thing that they did that I must applaud is that they tried as much as possible to tie loose ends. Even though it meant they did more talking than showing, it was still commendable. For example, they used Colette’s interview with the Chairman to explain how Colette and her gang got involved. The car that was left behind at the mall, it was later mentioned that someone called Segun, helped them move it from the scene. When we did not see Grandma at the end, Adamu explained that he already called her… they could have forgotten about these details, but they did not. I appreciated that. 
Issues??
I think I went in with too much expectations, and you can’t blame me; the narrative was that “Funke outdid herself with this one.” So I went in expecting a unique story. I was expecting to see sleek and stylish cinematography and impeccable dialogue. For a comedy featuring a heist, I was hoping to see the film effortlessly meld humor and suspense. I kept waiting for the highlight, waiting for things to pick up, but this movie failed to rise to the occasion. I guess I have myself to blame; I was expecting too much.
What did I not like? 3 things
One, I did not like the Wazobia element (the children being from different tribes) because it had no importance to the overall story. They spent so much time establishing that plot point, so imagine my surprise when I realized that it had no significance. Everything that happened in the film could have and would have happened even without it. Some would argue that this film was trying to be “socially conscious by representing the tribes in Nigeria.” I put it to you that if we go with that narrative, it would lead to some troublesome interpretations, but that is not my point in this review.
My main concern was the film’s inability to effectively utilize this cultural narrative that it forced into the story in a meaningful way. Since involving the tribes lacked relevance to the overall story, it made the whole thing look like a superficial gesture.
Secondly, I did not like the fact that this movie tried to anchor itself on an emotional core that it did not earn. Let me explain…This heist was supposed to be built on a compelling and emotional maternal arc because these children were doing all they could to save a mother they love so much. Unfortunately for this movie, the time that should have been spent showing that bond between the children and their mother, and building that emotional bedrock was wasted doing Wazobia. There were no heartwarming, heartbreaking, shocking, moving and beautiful scenes to keep viewers hooked, nothing to make us feel sad for them or invested in their story.
While the film sought to evoke sympathy and empathy for Jedidah‘s struggles, it failed to earn this emotional resonance because what we saw was a woman who did not really raise her children well. We saw a woman who enabled them, defended their wrongdoings, and constantly shielded them from accountability. As a result, there was this feeling of detachment rather than genuine empathy…I was actually indifferent about the heist; I was not invested, and I did not care if they got away or not.
Lastly, I did not like the heist itself. It was not enough that this “comedy” was not particularly funny, the heist which should have helped to raise the stakes was just there.
This affected the whole scene because working with a timeframe would definitely have heightened the tension.
It was implausible that the entire mall emptied that fast too, even if the guests left, vendors and the event organizers would still have been around to hear the gun shots…
I must mention that the way the movie ended was disappointing; kidnapping Adamu and letting him go just like that and not following him closely seemed unrealistic. Ransacking their house but not hanging around to see them all run away from their house also did not make sense. It all seemed too easy.
The entire escape scene was underwhelming; watching them get on that boat did nothing for me. Again, thank God for Ejiro & Testimony; if not for them, that scene would have been completely flat.
A Tribe Called Judah secured its place as the highest-grossing Nollywood Movie of all time. Irrespective of how anyone feels about this movie itself, that is a very impressive feat and it is a record that will likely stand for a long time.
It is, however, important to note that the success of a movie at the box office is often influenced by factors beyond just its quality (e.g., marketing, time of release). In the case of “A Tribe Called Judah,” its biggest strength was the excellent marketing campaign and the hype that was built around the movie way before its release.
In terms of the quality of the film itself, unfortunately, it would never be described as one of Nollywood’s most memorable films. It does not offer a fresh take on this well-worn trope it chose to explore; there was nothing distinctive about the storytelling. It was unable to deftly blend comedy, heist, and honest emotions. It was just there.
Overall, while “A Tribe Called Judah” is not a bad film, it’s not great either. Suspense-free storytelling, action sequences that fail to generate much excitement, familiar plot devices, okay performances. It lacked punch. It was not my cup of tea.
My Rating: 5.2/10.
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