Precious Keneema

I’m speechless. It’s just terrible. The acting is terrible. The whole film was lackluster. The storyline. I only managed to get through it because I’m a fan of Alyssa Milano (anyone who has watched Charmed). But otherwise, it’s terrible!

I know I am going to have the unpopular opinion here but I’ll give it anyway. There is no doubt that this movie is entertaining, action-packed (if that’s your thing), decent narrative, the casting was impeccable, the acting was outstanding, the production was great. You definitely won’t get bored! But I can’t help but feel like the story was exaggerated. It comes off as if the writers found this morsel of African History and try to turn it into a cinematic feast. I am all for celebrating African history, as Lizzo would say, it’s about damn time! But I feel the storyline left a lot to be desired and it felt a little desperate in certain areas. There was a desperate need for both female empowerment and black empowerment. It is as though the movie is overcompensating…and that is coming from a Black African Woman so by default, I have much love, respect and pride for this film. I just think there is something missing.

Before I read a single review of this film, let me put down my thoughts here. I finished watching this movie last night. It’s entertaining enough to pass the time. But perhaps part of the entertainment was because I love some of the actors in it and would watch any movie they are in. The character development is not great. We never really get to understand why the villain is the way he is, except for a brief monologue by the detective. The lead actress’ best friends are 2 dimensional and their friendship completely shallow. Overall a very shallow movie completely lacking in any sort of depth. Only super fans of Sanaa Lathan, Morris Chestnut and Michael Ealy should attempt to watch it. There’s definitely enough eye candy to go around.

This movie offers great entertainment value if you just want to pass the time but it’s a bit disappointing overall. It’s exciting at first for fans of Russell Crowe and memories of The Next Three Days coming pouring in and you have that same eager anticipation that you are going to get the same caliber of thriller but this is not the case with this movie. We never get to know why Russell Crowe’s character is the way he is. There’s little character development. The transition between the murder of his ex wife in the beginning and his reaction on the road is lazy. The direction is sloppy.