This movie, Suky, follows the story of a young man named Suky whose life is disrupted by tragedy and his attempt to seek revenge.
I have a lot to say about this one. Suky could have been a good one. Actually, Suky SHOULD HAVE BEEN a good one. It started well with a very solid premise. The first 10 minutes set the stage, and we were expecting a gritty and compelling story of vengeance, redemption, and the fight for freedom. I was excited!
Twenty minutes later, my excitement had disappeared. I was staring at my TV screen in disbelief, judging myself for celebrating too soon. Still, I tried to give Suky the benefit of the doubt, telling myself it would all make sense in the end, but it just progressively became worse. It felt like the main writer dropped his pen, stepped out of the room, and someone who had no business writing stories picked it up and wrote the most ridiculous, most dissatisfying, and most nonsensical plot I have seen this year. It was such a waste of a good story, it almost felt like a crime.
What did I like?
Like I mentioned earlier, I liked the storyline. Even though this one didn’t really do justice to the whole revenge theme, it was a good starting point.
I liked watching Tobi Bakare and the young Sunkanmi, played by Abolade Ajibade. Sunkanmi’s acting was not perfect, there were times when his performance was a bit off, but what I liked was that he looked, acted, and sounded the part. He had a different personality that didn’t fit the typical Nollywood child actor vibe. He looked like a Sunkanmi—a young Muslim child growing up in that kind of environment. I liked the father-and-son relationship, and I particularly loved that scene where they were walking in the bush and they were gisting about the fight that happened earlier. It would have been great to see more of Tobi Bakare.
The fight scenes were not bad. Some of them were not properly choreographed, but the punches looked quite real. It was obvious that they took the time to train the actors, and I appreciated that.
The tension, depth, and emotional weight that characterize high-stakes revenge movies were missing.
The biggest issue I had with this film was that it did a poor job of explaining itself. There were too many unanswered questions. Nothing was clarified, and the fact that nobody on set had the presence of mind to point out that they hadn’t actually told the audience anything is something that still baffles me.
We did not know who most of them were. Who was Adigun? Online synopsis describes him as a legendary fighter but from what we saw, there was nothing legendary about Adigun, he was just a skilled fighter in a small town. We did not know so much about the gang and their arrangement with Adigun. Why were they so angry that they killed him the first time he disobeyed them? Please don’t say it was because of money, it certainly couldn’t have been the meager sum gathered from the bystanders
came to watch the boxing match that caused all this chaos. Who was the lawyer, and why did he accommodate young Suky? Twelve years later, what case in particular was he investigating, and what information did he have that was so significant it warranted killing him and his wife in such a brutal manner?
On what grounds did the lawyer categorically tell the press that the gang members would be apprehended in a few months? As what? The Inspector General of Police? How did Sledgehammer recognize Suky after 12 years? Had he been keeping tabs on him? Or he just saw him that night and knew? After years in the game, why did Sledgehammer still show up at the crime scene wielding a weapon himself? Who was Ijaya and what was his story? How did the Senator fit into the grand scheme of things? What exactly was the big picture? What was the main motive behind everything?
What was the senator benefiting from the fights? Money from betting with two or three other politicians while watching prisoners fight alongside other rowdy inmates? Where exactly was the revenge in this film? At what point did the revenge, redemption and freedom happen? I know I did not see it. See, I could go on and on but just know that the whole thing felt like they didn’t know what they were doing and they dragged us into their confusion.
The acting and casting were not the best, in my opinion. They made us believe that Tobi Bakare was playing a more significant role, and when he disappeared 10 minutes into the film, I was disappointed.
So many people in this film were just occupying space, but I will talk about the lead actor and Bimbo Ademoye’s performance.
The lead actor, adult Suky, played by James Damilare was not really my cup of tea. At first, his quiet and brooding personality worked, but as the movie progressed, I realized it was just a way to make up for the fact that when he spoke, he wasn’t compelling. His expression remained flat, even in scenes where a slight change in demeanor could have elevated the moment. He did not do justice to the role, in my opinion—he was one of the reasons why the film felt so lifeless.
Bimbo Ademoye’s performance was very basic. Maybe she didn’t have much to work with, maybe it was the director’s fault, but her performance was extremely bland.
Moving on, character development in this film was nonexistent. We also didn’t care for any of the characters, we weren’t invested in them, and we weren’t rooting for them. I did not like Suky’s character, he neither looked nor sounded particularly smart. I was expecting a sharp, calculating, and unsympathetic hero, but they gave us this slow and unimpressive figure that did nothing for the audience.
There were so many scenes that I just did not like.
Let’s talk about the first time we saw the prison. That whole scene with prisoners being shot? It was a no for me. It should have been a standout scene simply because of the number of people who died, but it wasn’t. Why? The whole thing made me cringe.
First, the prison warden was overacting, it almost seemed like he was mimicking another character he had seen somewhere. His performance did not feel authentic at all. (When I saw him stroking a black cat later in the film, it sealed my suspicion.) His speech about owning them and all that was just awkward.
But the weirdest thing about that scene was how eerily silent everything was. Even as they got shot, they didn’t cry, they didn’t plead, they didn’t scream from the impact of the bullets. They just stood there, making no sound, then fell like mango trees, neatly rolling into perfect positions. They even formed a straight line. 🙄
Plus, the blood spilling from their heads looked like palm oil. I must say this was the case for all the scenes where blood was used in the film, it was either too much, the wrong shade, or the placement just didn’t make sense
The church as the rendezvous spot was also a no for me because why? What was with all the candles? And who was that guy who was always with Femi Adebayo? I don’t think he even spoke. He was just there for the sake of being there, he served no purpose.
The scene where Marshal called to negotiate Suky’s “purchase” was also ridiculous. What do you mean you’re calling someone more powerful than you and asking him how much? The audacity!
I honestly did not like the whole underground fight concept. At first, it was about preparing for a competition, then it became an underground fight championed by politicians. But we never saw Suky’s opponents arriving from other places, we were never sure why those people were fighting, and we had no idea what was at stake for the other side or the consequences of losing. They just kept fighting for no reason.
The subplot about the nurse who hadn’t stepped out of the prison in five years also made no sense. A government official holding an employee hostage for five years? How? She didn’t even look like someone who had been a hostage for that long. And more importantly, the reasoning behind it felt like complete nonsense. Her suitcase and handbag as she left her “prison” of five years made it look like she was just returning from a short trip.
As for Suky and the Nurse, I don’t think they had enough going on for Suky to suddenly decide to bargain for her freedom. I was very thankful they didn’t try to force a romantic angle, though.
Finally, I absolutely hated the last fight.
Apart from the fact that we still did not understand who Sledgehammer really was, we also had no clue about his actual reason for killing Adigun or why he was fighting Suky. The most frustrating part was that I didn’t understand why they were fighting! This should have been the highlight, the peak, the moment we had all been waiting for. But I didn’t feel anything because I didn’t know why they were fighting! At no point in the film was it established that Sledgehammer was a boxing champion himself, so when they randomly started hyping him as the king of boxing, it felt forced. I think they forgot to age him because it should have looked way older.
So can we even call what happened in this film a revenge mission? All the others who were involved with Sledgehammer got away unscathed. Even though Suky won the fight, the money or whatever was gained still went to the corrupt politician. So what exactly was the whole point???
After the unexciting fight, he kills Sledgehammer, then walks up to the senator to report Marshal, and I was like what is this??? 😭😭 I was ashamed on his behalf. No intention, no thought, no strategy, no actual action, a very dull and disappointing hero.
Also, I thought Suky was supposed to leave the prison after winning the fight? So what was the nurse saying about looking for a judge for him?
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, they showed the very last scene where Ijaya was now in charge of the prison. He came out of the prison gate and started mocking Marshal, and I was like, as how? Are you not a prisoner too? It would have made sense if he decided to torment Marshal within the prison walls, but walking outside to speak, then calling other prisoners to come out and attack him? I was thoroughly confused!
But then again, it was a fitting end for a film that promised so much yet delivered nothing.
Despite a decent opening sequence, Suky quickly degenerated into a mess of incoherent storytelling, wasted potential, and frustratingly lazy writing. Overall, it was not a good watch for me. Terrible writing, terrible directing, acting that did not land… underwhelming storytelling, and a completely unsatisfying conclusion.
P.S. – What happened to the cat?
My Ratings: 2/10
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