Hills Pictures and Eric Aghimien Film presents, Ivie Okujaye-Egboh (Kome), Sambasa Nzeribe (Tuvi), Adebayo Thomas (Peter) Tobe Tedela (Osas), Inspector Dave (Majid Michel), Inspector Ogbanna (Victor Eriabie), Tuvi 2nd Man (Imoudu DJ Moe Ayonte) EKechukwu Akanno (Obus), Richard Brutus (Brasco). Director, Kolade Shasi; Cinematographer, Godwin Aghimien; Screenplay supervisor, Ujonwa Offor. © 2016
I enjoy watching Slow Country the same way I enjoyed a little known film directed by Forest Whittaker, called Strapped (1993). Strapped is about a Brooklyn teen, Bokeem Woodbine, who resorts to peddling guns to raise money so he can free his girlfriend from prison. An intense action movie when this Brooklyn teen gets strapped between the undercover New York DEA and the car-trunk-gun-dealer. That is how Kome (Ivie Okujaye-Egboh), is strapped between her terrible blood-thirsty gangster-drug-dealing boyfriend, Tuvi, who kills for fun, and Inspector Dave (Majid Michel). Slow Country isn’t fun—Gross! Blood! And gore!
Slow Country starts as a buddy-buddy movie. That’s the kind film that relates to two or more law officers as teamwork on a beat, and they look after one another. One could have a drug problem. One has a jealous wife. Another partner could have an alcohol withdrawal problem, a divorce problem, one is recovering from losing a partner in a recent shoot-out, and is, jittery and, gung-ho. Inspector Dave has lung disease and coughs a lot, and his partner won’t let him continue smoking a cigarette, but the weak boy won’t help himself. Like a big brother, Inspector Ogbonna always snatches one from his mouth every time he lights one.
Dave and his partner, Inspector Ogbonna (Victor Eriabie), are on a beat when they suspect drug peddler selling to motorists. Dave chases him into the ghetto and catches him, and the peddler snitches on the supplier, Tuvi (Sambasa Nzeribe), who is crazily in love with Kome but uses her as his distributor and a top billing Ashawo in his outfit. The film opens to cold-blooded murder by Tuvi’s second in command, Imoudu (DJ Moe Ayonote), of a man who happens to have a one night stand with Kome.
Kome is the most valuable gem in Tuvi’s outfit and, therefore, watched like a hawk watches over its prey. Inspector Ogbonna hires her service for both drugs and sex, and Tuvi brings her to the location and leaves. When she comes from the bathroom freshening her, she faces Inspector Dave. For the first time, she knew this isn’t business as usual. They want information on Tuvi’s cocaine imports from Panama. She won’t snitch. But Inspectors collect two sacks of cocaine exhibits from her.
The movie then centers on a classroom teacher, Osas (Tobe Tedela). He teaches Kome’s son, Peter (Adebayo Thomas), in school. The little kid is always late for either school in the morning or late to be picked up after school. Osas brings him home one day and discovers that the six years old boy is his son, and he had abandoned Kome after she got pregnant with the boy. After getting past the hatred and the pains she had suffered alone with Peter, gradually, she starts to come around for Osas. He’s her baby papa even as she has told the little boy that his father is dead. Kome isn’t happy with the dangerous life she’s leading with Tuvi, she’ll be glad to leave, but oh, she is afraid of Tuvi’s wrath-strapped.
Kome divides into three parts: Her love for her baby Papa, Osas, Inspector David’s surveillance, and the most revered and blood-thirsty Tuvi. By one-third into the movie, Tuvi had killed four people, all in cold blood. By sheer luck, her baby papa escapes death from him. And when he teams up with Kome, She has kilos of cocaine she has double-crossed Tuvi and goes on to sell it to his rival Brasco (Richard Brutus). She leaves behind her a war as Tuvi comes looking for her. There’s a confrontation between Brasco and Tuvi. Brasco gets shot in the forehead, while his gang and empire crumble in flames. Kome and Osas go to Inspector David for protection, but none of that. Tuvi gets hold of Kome and Osas and is about to execute both when the undercover open fire. Tuvi’s finally stabbed to death by Kome. Movie ends.
Two instances need mentioning in this film. The character of Tuvi impresses me as a cold-blooded murderer. He’s the most wicked mother gangster I have seen lately. He doesn’t smile. He tortures his victims before he kills them. And when he visits his bedridden ailing Dad, lying in bed suffering from cancer and blood running down his nose, while he stands over him, this is what ensues.
Dad, “Man, Obus was your best friend, any explanation why you killed him?”
Tuvi, “Obus tried to rape Kome.” I made him an example for people who lack respect for this family. Nobody respect or fears you anymore, Dad. Nobody. Even the people owing you don’t pay. And you can’t and won’t do shit.”
Sits by his Dad and turns away from the camera.
Tuvi (cont’d) “Your cancer has drained our family business, Dad. And now we are broke.”
Dad, “My son, you don’t get away with anything in this life.”
Tuvi, “Life is like a street.”
Dad, “Eh?”
Tuvi, (turns to his Dad), “And the street is full of many locked gates and one open gate. You’re a locked gate, Dad.”
Tuvi stands.
Tuvi, “And I need to find an open one.”
He chokes his Dad with a handkerchief soaked in chloroform to death. When life has gone out of his Dad, he lies on his chest, takes the dead man’s arm, and hugs him with it, looking upward as beads of tear rolls down his cheeks. Tuvi has just murdered his Dad in cold blood.
Like I said earlier, Slow Country is half a buddy-buddy movie. The reason I refer to it as half is because we lost sight of them DEA for too long. The DEA starts the drug bust that leads us to Kome, which leads us to Tuvi. And they are present when everything goes down in Slow Country. The plot involving them is paramount in the dramatic chain. In a sense, the presence of DEA sensitizes the screen. The DEA or other crime busters are like the Almighty God looking down at us. By intermittently bringing them into the work of things, is telling viewers, big brother is watching. The relationship between Inspector David and his partner Inspector Ogbonna is more like Ogbonna looking after his younger partner and brother in the service. No wonder when Inspector Ogbonna gets killed, Inspector David lights his last cigarette, with the thought of his partner in mind, he couldn’t pull a puff, but drops it and walks away. Respect.
In most instances, Slow Country is similar to Strapped. They are both kinds of news agitated journalists cover in city centers to make evening headlines. There’s a helpless girl in each film and helpless lovers who could be strapped, in this case, Osas, who can take death over leaving his baby mama in the hands of Tuvi. In Strapped, Bookeem’s pregnant girlfriend sold cocaine to an undercover agent and arrested her. Kome is lucky not arrested when she sells two pouches of cocaine to Dave and his partner. Bokeem goes on to buy and sell guns in the Brooklyn neighborhood. And in considering the theme of Slow Country, I’ll leave this review with the most famous line I took away from Bokeem Woodbine in Strapped, “You don’t live in my world.”