Movie review: Netflix’s newest release, Tòkunbó fails at telling a stereotypical African story

Ah, “Tòkunbó”—another attempt by Nollywood to straddle the fine line between gritty realism and overwrought theatrics, and yet, predictably, it falters. 

Let’s begin with the so-called “conversation” between Tòkunbó (Gideon Okeke, no wonder the Yoruba sounds unoriginal) and his friend. One could scarcely tolerate the insipid exchange, not to mention the absurdity of the friend’s deep, contrived voice. A feeble attempt at gravitas, perhaps?

But here’s the rub: Nigerian high-grade criminals, the real ones, don’t rely on booming baritones to exude menace. They are bold, brazen, and terrifying in their sheer audacity—not in their vocal chords. 

The film’s attempt to force a caricatured ‘Oga’ archetype upon the audience is not only amateurish but also reveals a profound misunderstanding of the very subject matter it seeks to portray.

And then, the torture scene. How predictable of Nollywood to dive headlong into unnecessary brutality under the guise of realism. Much like its penchant for gratuitous nudity, this scene serves no purpose other than to shock.

It’s as if the filmmakers are attempting to compensate for their reluctance to push the narrative envelope by indulging in cheap sensationalism. 

A wise director like Ramsey Nouah should read the room—a phrase foreign to the creators of “Tòkunbó”—and understand that there is a fine line between evocative storytelling and needless provocation.

Now, the narrative development, for once, shows a glimmer of hope. It draws on the emotional strings as it should, but this is where the film’s structural integrity begins to crumble. 

Read also: “House of Ga’a” tells a compelling African story with a universal appeal

Overlapping sub-stories—an unforgivable sin in any storytelling medium. 

“Tòkunbó” falls victim to this, with the CBN governor’s meeting interspersed with our protagonist’s frantic search. It feels as though the filmmakers are juggling too many balls at once, dropping all of them in the process. The result? A disjointed stuff that sacrifices coherence for the sake of forced complexity.

And if we’re to discuss clichés, let’s address the tired trope of “trace the call.” Do we believe that Nigerian law enforcement, in its supposed sophistication, still relies on such juvenile tactics? And how does the police lack a photograph of the girl they’re supposedly rescuing? It is moments like these that highlight the screenplay’s glaring inconsistencies and the film’s overall disregard for logic.

Then there’s the final act—a farcical showdown that reeks of Hollywood’s worst tendencies. The idea that a weak, untrained protagonist could triumph over a world-destroying villain simply because he “believes” is an insult to both the audience’s intelligence and the art of storytelling. 

And don’t get me started on the nauseatingly happy ending. If there’s one thing the global film industry needs to do less often, it’s this insipid notion of wrapping every story with a bow of optimism. Reality is far more complex, and so should our cinema.

Criminals in Nigeria—indeed, the world over—often evade justice, and pretending otherwise does a disservice to the narrative and its audience.

The plot, while serviceable, is riddled with predictability. The characters, despite being well-acted—Chidi Mokeme’s Gaza is particularly noteworthy—are let down by a script that’s as unoriginal as it is uninspired. 

“Tòkunbó” runs in circles, much like its protagonist, and in the end, it delivers nothing we haven’t seen before. Characters playing their roles well is not enough to salvage a film marred by overlapping scenes, uninspired tropes, and a painfully predictable story arc.

In essence, “Tòkunbó” is a film that aims high but misses the mark. It is a mishmash of forced narratives and uninspired clichés, a film that ultimately falls short of its potential. Perhaps next time, Nollywood will learn that good storytelling isn’t about piling on subplots and clichés but about crafting a coherent, compelling narrative that resonates with its audience. 

Also, when are we going to start having dialogues in Nollywood movies that draw attention?

“Tòkunbó” is not that film.

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