BY JAIYEOLA AJASA.
Produced by Femi Adebayo, Jagun Jagun tells the story of a warlord, Ogunjimi, feared by the people within and outside his community. However, the arrival of a young man reveals his insecurities, as he fears that his authority may soon be displaced. If you put this movie side by side say Gladiator. The 2002 epic historical drama directed by Ridley Scott, with Russell Crowe, Joaquin Pheonix and our brother Djimon Hounsou. We will be very unfair in our criticism. The Gladiator on its release, the film grossed over $503 million worldwide.
It is one of the best movies ever made. If we have to be fair to Femi Adebayo, we have to distance ourselves from the Hollywood World. Go into small market mode. Then we will be sincere and gracious of JAGUN JAGUN. It is not the work he has put on the ground that has grabbed my attention. It is the boldness and the sheer stubbornness to try. And what the future holds for movie making in Nigeria. We see the usual suspects of recycling the same actors and actresses.
The rowdy scenes. The comical make up and joke of what they call side effects. What we should focus on is the fact that by our standard the movie is avant-gardist in contemporary movie making.
Introducing Nigerians to the sword-and-sandal genre. The theme of revenge, violence, masculinity, and stoicism. Hallmarks of our history adhered me to the movie. The costume and set design were really good. Jagun Jagun lays a precedent for what Nollywood producers should consider if they decide to produce an epic film. Will more attention be paid to crucial details in a movie in Nigeria? We will get there one day. We got to JAGUN JAGUN today. Let us sit back, suspend our disbelief. And enjoy it.