The Black Book is a Nigerian action crime drama film released on Netflix on September 22, 2023. It is produced by Anakle Films and directed by Editi Effiong. The film has a runtime of about 2 hours and 4 minutes.
The ensemble cast of the film includes Richard Mofe-Damijo, Ade Laoye, Sam Dede, Alex Usifo Omiagbo, Olumide Oworu, Kelechi Udegbe, Shaffy Bello, Iretiola Doyle, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and others.
The Black Book Review
The movie follows the story of a bereaved deacon who takes justice into his own hands and fights a corrupt police gang to absolve his son after he is framed for a high-profile kidnapping. The film starts off with a man and a baby getting stopped in traffic and a gunfight breaks out. Along with the man, they take the baby hostage and it turns out to be a member of the Craig family who is the Chairman of the energy and oil company.
Soon enough it’s evident that it was done by some powerful people who wanted the Chairman’s seat for themselves. The man’s wife, Professor Craig is even given a choice by the kidnappers to choose between her baby and her husband and regardless of the choice – they end up killing both. Professor has been working to eradicate corruption from the country and this was a way to teach her family a lesson. Enraged by what happened to her family, the public protested in her support and to sweep the matter under the rug, people in power broadcast a false description of the kidnapper to catch anyone who matches it & kill them.
That’s when Damilola Edima, son of Paul Edima who now works as a Deacon, has a tragic encounter. The kidnapper was said to be a tall black man with dreadlocks (which could be anyone) but Damilola fitted the description, thus they falsely arrested & shot him. Further making false reports that he died in a gunfight as he was trying to evade the authorities. What the killers didn’t realise was that Paul Edima used to be the most dangerous man in the country – who would assassinate anyone and even was part of many coups while in the military.
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On the other hand, Victoria Kalu, a journalist looking for a big break and wants to uncover the truth behind Paul Edima’s son’s death. However, Paul is definitely not interested in getting her help or even getting involved with her. At first, it seems like an angry dad’s stubbornness, who wants to get justice in his own brutal way but in reality, their relationship might be more than mere strangers.
The film highlights some of the issues of the country like drug trafficking and corruption, which have been running deep for decades and now the young people have to bear the brunt of the consequences. Meanwhile, on Paul’s part – it’s his karma from doing all the bad deeds on General Issa’s command, in the military.
Compared to the previously released action thriller from Nollywood, The Black Book definitely takes the crown with its engrossing plot. You are hooked from the start, it dwindles a bit in the middle but when everything gets revealed and dynamic action scenes take over the screens, you will grab onto your seats till the end minute.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Black Book is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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