Nwankwo Michael production presents, Sylvester Madu (Mathew), Jamila Musa (Kachi), Emeka Danile (Augustine)Kenneth Kanu (Augustine), Emelda Ogbonna (Ambassador’s Daughter). Director of Photography, Chris Antus; Producer, Nwanko Michael; Director/ Executive Producer/ Screenwriter, Theophilus A. Ichendu.
“Yes, I de hear you now…Are you serious…? Which day exactly…? Are you serious? Is done…of course, we go sharam.” That’s the one-sided conversation on the phone that gets Sylvester Madu (Mathew) spring into action, into kidnapping the Ambassador’s daughter in Kidnap. That’s how he normally introduces himself in action movies, like in Bank Alert, we see him in the black and white movie scene, white dress shirt, black tie, with a briefcase, and two well-dressed women behind him and looks at his wrist-watch and says: ” We on our way.” And in the next scene, they attack a bank and make away with plenty of loots. The heist, however, meets with its share of police intervention.
We see Mathew gets in the backseat of Seargent Lilian’s (Cy Jayzohorag) battered sedan car, and have a conversation. It was as if a command which Mathew couldn’t deny. Of course, he couldn’t because he and his buddies in this village been idle and broke, paying only free civil service duty to the village as vigilante watchmen for them. Now here’s the deal that will make them millionaires:
Mathew, ” This one way you sent for me, sharp, sharp…”
Seargent Lilian, “The Angolan Ambassador’s daughter will be entering Nigeria…she’ll be in the car with me.”
Mathew, “What about the guns?”
Seargent Lilian, “Don’t worry about that. I want you and your guys to block us, carry her, but don’t shoot. Is a warning, don’t shoot…the money will be shared fifty-fifty.”
Mathew, “Done.”
With the help of police sergeant Lilian (Cy Jayzohorag), who orchestrates the crime and provides the arms, Mathew is able to put a rag-tag posse of young village idlers together and carry out the kidnapping of the Ambassador of Angola’s daughter (Emelda Ogbonne). The “deal,” as they nicknamed the operation, is an easy pull. Mathew brings in his buddy, Augustine (Emeka Danile) Kachi (Jamila Musa) and Mego (Kenneth Kanu) and later added more to the posse ones the daughter was in captive. For the first time when Mathew tells his posse about the treasure, the Ambassador’s daughter was in their possession, the gang was agape. Some of them couldn’t believe their ears and show signs of fear and trembling, but Mathew assures them of each becoming two million Nairas rich after successful delivery of the deal. They cooled off.
Sylvester Madu has been in Call of Justice, Occult Payback, The Flash of the Past, No Way in and Out, My NYSC Story, Let the Dead Bury the Dead, The Good and the Bad, The League of Lions. These are all action laden films of Sylvester Madu and most have made their moments with me. For instance, I can hardly suspend viewing Bank Business to rush to the bathroom. If I did my ear would be cocked in case I missed action or dialogue on the screen. Kidnap, didn’t get me thus far. A beg, it falls short.
The kidnapping itself seems a joke on us. We witness it without caring for either the hostage or the kidnappers. The girl is kidnapped and brought to a shoddy motel and waits there until her father brings the ransom money. Oh, he brings the money in Ghana-must-go bags and presents it to Mathew and his posse. The Ambassador takes his daughter, and they leave the scene. Mathew and his rag-tag posse, leave the scene with their twenty percent shares each, like ones going on a regular weekend trip away from home, into oblivion without incident. Are you kidding me?
I wrongly thought Kidnap would be more intense than Bank Business heist wherein I discovered Sylvester Madu, with a bunch of ashawos he trained to use machine guns and goes about hijacking a bank. He did talk of training the posse in Kidnap, but no such training in the film. One sin we don’t like to commit in story production is when you say things that we the audience look forward to and you don’t deliver. There were confrontations, deterrents, lots of gunplay. The scared-shit hostages in the bank, breaking into the vault and attempting to get away with the loot in duffle bags while the bank is surrounded by the police and the captain he has eluded for so long, were scenes worth an evening entertainment. Even when he attempts a get-away in a coffin, he and his gang run into a police roadblock at the border. Astonishing and astounding film to watch.
Here in Kidnap, there’s no confrontation, no contention and no hurdles in getting the ransom. Could an Ambassador negotiate with rag-tag kidnappers without diplomatic concerns? Of course, it could but it will be in the backdrop of the shadow negotiations within the drama, only to let the culprits run into a dragnet. But here we are, a kidnapping takes place, Mathew gets on the phone and makes the ransom request to the Ambassador and within an hour, the ransom is delivered. Mathew gives them their shares and says goodbye and they, in turn, thank him for doing honest business with him and they all split from the scene. No incident. This isn’t real life, and we want to believe it couldn’t be.
Every once in a while, your favorite actor, one you expect could bring you entertainment would let you down. When I saw Sylvester Stallon, my bad, naturally I envision Madu in the character of Sylvester Stallon. How come they both have the same first names and acts in films with death wishes? Sylvester Madu let me down here real bad. Or better yet, the producer, director, and even the script didn’t let the actors get out of their shells. For example, the scene where Mathew is interrogated and the officer doing the interrogation seems less mature. That scene is more like a rehearsal just before we go into recording- “Action,” on the set. Augustine has always been a night watchman (vigilante); he has never used a machine gun that sounds, “tata-tata-ta.” A project like kidnapping to him seems out of his league, and therefore we expect weakness in his character link.
This project is what New York or Hollywood entertainment industry used to call in the ’50s as Summer Stock. There was a movie of that name that came out in 1950, but the industry or the studios used actors and cheaper productions and keep actors busy while paying the bills at that time until when businesses pick up. Sylvester Madu uses this project to get busy, practice the craft until something good comes along. I sure forgive him here. Kidnap is like the fall of a Sausage tree among giant Oaks, and Baobab trees in the African jungle forest. A thud.