After his directorial debut with Living in Bondage sequel, which earned him a Best Director award at the AMVCA, Ramsey Nouah’s follow-up effort, the remake of Rattlesnake, was highly anticipated. Despite his promising role as director and an impressive cast, the hollow film ruined the beauty of the original story. It failed to recapture the magic of his acclaimed debut, despite its AMVCA nominations and wins.

After successive outings in the 2019-2020 period, Ramsey Nouah dusts off his directing hat this year for Tokunbo, a Netflix original screenplay by Todimu Adegoke and Thecla Uzozie. Set in the bustling city of Lagos where both organised and petty crimes hide in plain sight, Tokunbo tells the story of its titular character (played by Gideon Okeke), a repentant car smuggler who is in a race against time to save his one-year-old sick child whilst entangled in a dangerous kidnapping web.

It’s almost two years since Tokunbo decided to quit his criminal dealings with his boss, Gaza (played by the ebullient Chidi Mokeme). For his new and slower life as a parent, Tokunbo is willing to give up his life as a notorious smuggler and become responsible. In the prologue that opens the film, it is clear that Tokunbo’s decision doesn’t sit well with Gaza, who shows his disapproval by underpaying Tokunbo for the last job. The tension that exists between these two men when we meet them for the first time is quite palpable. By the time Tokunbo leaves the scene, you are convinced that there’s an ember of trouble the director is quietly fanning into flames. Through their eye contact and air of unspoken words, you’d sense this is a setup for a future reunion but you just don’t know how and when.

If there’s anything Ramsey Nouah does remarkably well with this film, it is how he immediately cuts to the chase, avoiding a protracted build-up that could stall the main action. While the director appears to be less concerned with well-fleshed-out characters, he does seem very invested in conveying the singular idea that drives the movie’s plot: an adrenaline-fuelled action story about an ex-car smuggler who is entangled in the kidnapping of a government official’s daughter. However, this focus has an unintended consequence of stifling the film’s potential to fully explore its themes and subplots, which ultimately weakens the plot. Tokunbo meanders aimlessly. It leaves in its wake subplots that are either underdeveloped or abruptly abandoned. Thus, creating a disjointed mess of cheap thrills. A closer examination of Ramsey Nouah’s fledgling directorial filmography reveals a filmmaker drawn to hasty plot progression over character nuance. In Tokunbo, the titular character enjoys company in his entrapment, as the film’s writing calls shotgun in this ride of misfortune.

In stark contrast to the grim world of Tokunbo, we are thrust into the opulent lives of Folashade Balogun-Smith and her daughter, Nike. Mrs. Folashade (Funlola Aofiyebi Raimi), newly appointed Governor of the Central Bank, is bristling with enthusiasm to revitalise the nation’s faltering economy. As a female executive moving from the corporate sector, she must develop a steely resolve to make tough, uncompromising decisions, regardless of whose interests are at stake. Her inaugural economic policy as Central Bank Chief is met with scathing opposition, but she asserts her authority with a subtle yet unyielding message: she will not be underestimated or intimidated. When her daughter Nike (Darasimi Nnadi) is suddenly kidnapped, we are left to wonder which of her past or present adversaries could be responsible.

At this point, the movie’s action accelerates to full speed. With time running out, the two parents, Tokunbo and Folashade, find themselves held by a common enemy.  The audience is allowed to soak in the theme of parental love and sacrifice as these two parents struggle to keep their kids safe. While Folashade is slowly unraveling, she refuses to crack under the pressure of her situation. Meanwhile, Tokunbo is torn between rescuing his family and avoiding the Police while traveling on the heavily guarded roads with Nike. Amid this saga, Nike and Tokunbo begin to bond, introducing a narrative thread that doesn’t shock or surprise because it echoes familiar Lima syndrome twists seen in thrillers like The Guardian (2006) and The Collector (2009).

By the time Tokunbo arrives at its climax, it is almost as if the filmmakers themselves have lost interest in the story they are telling. The big twist doesn’t get enough time to breathe. It’s introduced, it’s perplexing for a moment, and then it is resolved right away. Although it has its expected twists and seemingly smart moments, the film still doesn’t offer a truly memorable experience for viewers and one dare say for the actors who are not given enough to work with.

The acting in Tokunbo is far from phenomenal but the lead actors put in a performance that sustains the film’s 112-minute runtime. The characters are barely given any kind of depth or background, making it hard to care what happens to them one way or the other. Gideon Okeke isn’t exactly a strong lead for this film but he shows considerable effort. It’s always a delight to watch Darasimi Nnadi. Chidi Mokeme’s typecasting as a kingpin in Nollywood films is usually a one-dimensional, almost caricature portrayal that deprives his character of life, the opposite of the hustle and bustle at Gaza’s workshop. 

The final fight scene between Tokunbo and Gaza struggles to be fully satisfying. After all, it is what the director has been secretly brewing right from the beginning when you think Gaza would have instantly put up a fight against Tokunbo after he declared his intention to leave. The film just had to bring the men back together. The attention to detail in the fight scenes, where every weapon, moves, and even the slick patch of the ground is accounted for, translates to an ending that ultimately gives little substance.

Tokunbo premiered on Netflix on August 23, 2024.

Share your thoughts in the comments section or on our social media accounts.

Keep track of upcoming films and TV shows on your Google calendar.

Side Musings

• The VFX used in the scene where Gaza cuts off a young boy’s arm and Tokunbo’s car crashing into the river was quite amateurish.
• Tokunbo made many careless mistakes for someone transporting an important kidnapped victim and it made the film seem like a comedy thriller.
• Gaza foretold that Iya Mulikat would be the end of him and so it happened.
• There was no suspense in how the PA was caught in her deception. We literally saw the Police officer listening in on her phone call and the next thing, she was being cornered and arrested. A little creativity would have helped, it’s an action thriller for heaven’s sake not a comedy! 
• Why exactly were they taking Nike to Seme Border? Is there a buyer there? Ramsey Nouah and his crew should make it make sense. 
• Truly, Tokunbo has the ingredients of a crime thriller if you pretend to turn a blind eye to the many underwritten scenarios. At the same time, it is less of a surprise for a film that can’t quite figure out what it wants to be.