Director: Akay Mason.
Cast:a Bolanle Ninalowo, Kanayo O Kanayo, Kate Henshaw, Taiwo Hassan, Tina Mba, Uzor Arukwe
Release: November 24, 2023.
For Nigerians familiar with Nollywood’s fantastical tropes, the plot of Bank Alert where Sammy, a struggling bank manager, receives a huge amount of money in his account on the very day he wants to take out a loan to get out of his rut.
It is also not uncommon to find ourselves rooting for the recipients of this manna from heaven – as long as it’s not our own money. lol.
Yet, somehow, in Bank Alert, the first feature film of Okey Bakassi, none of these premises fly.
Firstly, the writer’s depiction of Sammy’s moral compass is skewed.
They try to convince us that his behaviour – of taking someone else’s money and claiming to “invest it in business” is ethical. Manna from heaven or not , using that money is not ethical. And trying to convince us otherwise is an insult to our intelligence .
The overall production quality is commendable though, to be fair- except for a scene where Sammy’s creditors confront him after his wife leaves- the unnecessary aerial shots border on cringe.
The diverse array of characters enhances the movie experience, with Uzor Arukwe’s portrayal of Modestus standing out.
However, lead actors deliver underwhelming performances, struggling with language consistency and impactful expressions.
Sitting comfortably on this table is Okey Bakassi, the lead male actor.
There’s Ninalowo too whose attempt at a Rasta man is nothing but laughable. In trying to make his lines clear, he missed an important nuance- which is that the Rasta language (for the lack of a better word) is not our mother tongue so it’s okay for it to sound like a bunch of jargon.
Lest I forget, his stylist needs to take several steps back. Amen.
Despite all its flaws sha, Bank Alert might be worth a trip to the cinemas especially for Uzor Arukwe’s noteworthy performance. It will crack you up.
