Production Company, Known Associates Entertainment Distributor, Netflix present Mathusi Magano (Vusi Matsoso), Frank Rautenbach( (John Smit), Chris Chameleon (Wilheim), Mona Monyane (Abigail Matsoso), Nicolus Moitoi (Sonnyboy), Izel Bezuidenhout (Melissa) Director, Writer, Fabian Medea, Writer; Supervising producers, Songezo Boyisi, Phakamisa George, Themba Mashinini; Executive Producer, Joel Phiri, Fabian Medea; Cinematographer, Bert Haitsma; Director, Fabian Medea; Producers, Christianne Bennetto, © 2022
You may think Silverton Siege (2022) is an excellent action movie to come out of South Africa. You are right. Get a load of Wild Is the Wind too, from Nollywood. The two films are not parallel by any means and in any form. Not in the same realm at all. The Siege is a personal war against the apartheid system, and the Wind is a tragic hurricane that blew through a small South African veldt of a town, using Whites versus Black relationships as a backdrop. Whereas The Siege is Sabelo Magadi’s meditation on the edgy youths in Silverton, South Africa, on the eve of South African liberation from White rule. Three young adults seek refuge in a bank and hold customers hostage and demand the release of Nelson Mandela from prison.
Wild Is the Wind, is the Writer, Fabian Medea’s, his maiden project, take on two corrupt detectives in the police force. They are playing brotherhood to each other, yet remnants of Black and White distrust plague them as do Black Americans and White Americans. Two South African police detectives, Vusi Matsosu (Mothusi Magano) and John Smit (Frank Rautenbach) are good at what they do. They are assigned to investigate the mysterious death of a young Afrikaner girl, Melissa, (Izel Bezuidenhout). Being buddies in the force and seemingly looking after each other; they even drink liquor from the same Johnny Walker bottle, one would think race has nothing to do with their relationship.
Then, Melissa gets battered and murdered. Melissa is not an ordinary White young girl. She’s related to the mayor of the city, and it is just when the election is upon the city for the mayoral election. Like any other society, well not quite any other society, but for instance, in America of the early ‘70s and before, the suspect of a murder of a White female points no further than Black youth. Especially when they have seen her hanging out with a Black man.
Vusi and John are partners viewed by the police department as go-getters, like the two buddies in the movie Bad Boys (1992). They are brave and not afraid of anyone or anything. Even the department has such a high regard for them, hence, they were granted authority with a reward of 250,000 Rands, for the killer of Melissa. Vusi and John however had a problem. Vusi wants out of this Veldt to Johannesburg where he could give his pregnant wife, Abby (Mona Monyane), a better decent life. John too has an impending foreclosure on this farm property and his wife is pestering him not to default on payment. Such outside pressures got the two officers corrupt.
John, and Vusi, run upon a trap house, grenade the facility, killed the occupants, and make away with parcels of drugs (cocaine). Indeed, they win a jackpot. Just when Vusi is selling the illicit drug, to Mongo (Jonathan Kameel), head office calls him to duty. He and John are commissioned to head the investigation of the murder of an Afrikaner, Melissa, with a 250,000 Rand reward. Question for these two detectives, even as the crowd of officers was clapping for them when they are assigned to investigate the murder if their friendly and brotherly relationship would remain the same.
Vusi leaves parcels of cocaine with Mongo and he promises to pay in a day or two. Both his and John’s happiness depends on this shady deal. Mongo is a big-time crime boss who has the entire district on his payroll. He has his wayward nephew, Sonnyboy (Nicolus Moitoi), a colored kid who hangs out with Melissa and matter of fact hangs out with her the night of her murder. There is no need to go further looking for a suspect. Sonnyboy is a Black man last seen in the company of Melissa, and therefore he is the murderer. Melissa’s mother shoots Sunnyboy at close range outside the courthouse.
In the prologue scene, Vusi interrogates a menacing Whiteman, Wilhelm (Chris Chameleon) on a dusty country road for speeding. Wilhelm is a racist, White Nationalist, and Neo-Nazi. He has been taking Black girls from Burning Bush nightclub and murdering them, as he did Melissa just because he sees Melissa kissing Sunnyboy in the club on the night of her disappearance.
Detectives John and Vusi on a downtime, are candidly sharing opinions about the situation in South Africa, and as they drink from the same bottle of Johnny Walker:
Vusi, “You think there’s any hope for this land, John? Think we’ll ever get past the hate?”
“Past it? That’s a big ask. You know a lot of blood has been spilled in this place. But I consider you, my brother.”
Racial differences show their ugly faces when Vusi roughened up the White boy suspected of Melissa’s murder. Vusi had earlier refused this investigation because Melissa is White and not the same attention is given to the murders and disappearances of Black men and women in the town. “…I’m sorry, that’s tough …. I’m going to collect the money and leave.” “Just like that…. Well, it is not your fight.” “Why should it be, because I’m a cop and she’s White?” John didn’t like Vusi’s brutal manhandling of the White suspect. But when he too chased Sonnyboy and arrested him, bloodied his face, Vusi didn’t appreciate his mishandling. He didn’t like the scene of an innocent Black manhandled this way. John didn’t like Vusi’s brutal manhandling of the White suspect. From here thenceforth, John and Vusi develop inimical feelings for each other.
John quickly surrenders Sonnyboy to the police and collects the reward unknown to Vusi and couldn’t let Vusi presents the finding of the DNA of the White racist, Wilhelm Joost. John orders that Vusi be arrested for fear that he will sabotage his report that Sonnyboy is the culprit. Vusi goes solo into the veldt and captures Wilhelm bringing him to town. If you think John and Vusi were buddies in the force and committed crimes like briberies and other corruptions, they finally fall out over Melissa’s issue and the reward money John takes for himself. John knows Sonnyboy didn’t kill Melissa, yet he is pressed for the reward money and Sonnyboy is a Blackman. Vusi knows the Blackman didn’t kill Melissa but couldn’t defend his brotherman. This is where they parted ways:
John, “I thought we were in this together?”
Vusi, “We were but not anymore.”
“Is this about your share? Man, look this whole charade was your idea, okay?”
John pulls a gun and points it at Vusi after his partner punches him in the nose. He is about to shoot Vusi.
Vusi, “So there it is. The real you.”
If this intricate drama could not say much about the title of Wild Is the Wind, the problematic and bald mountainous terrain has much to say. The topography shows no life but a dusty and desolate countryside where the worst happens in the absence of God. Then the wind that stops at nothing because there is just a vacant, unending, and unfriendly space blows through this side of the veldt where one senses nothing but nothingness. The wind that blows in this veldt is metaphorical. Melissa’s murder brings out the immeasurable wind of racial conflict.
I dedicate this review to Johnny Mathis, Wild is the Wind.