King of Thieves

King of Thieves is an epic thriller and a loose retelling of a Yoruba Folklore. It tells the story of Agesinkole (Femi Adebayo), a thief that terrorizes the fictional land of Ajeromi during the reign of Oba Adegbite (Odunlade Adekola).

The story starts in present day where Segun Arinze plays host at an art gallery. He stumbles upon a visitor staring intensely at a painting of two horsemen then asks her if she is aware of the story behind the painting. When she says no, he begins to narrate the story of the happenings in Ajeromi land after the coronation of Oba Adegbite, son of Tadenikaro. The filmmakers set the mood of the film with these first few scenes. From the burial ground of thieves, to the display of the spiritual elders and the lavish culture on display at the king’s coronation, it is made clear that this is not a production that seeks to skimp on the details while also introducing characters and elements of the story that would be integral in parts to come.

Soon after the coronation, some kings of neighboring towns are headed home when they are accosted by Agesinkole. For the introductory scene of such a strong character, this scene left a bit to be desired. While it established his character as strong and unbothered by powerful men it doesn’t have half the impact that it could. This impact is better felt a couple of scenes later when Oba Adegbite and Agesinkole meet in a dream sequence. This dream scene was the perfect union of intense music, moving cinematography, a transcendent location and strong characters.

One of the best things about King of Thieves is the casting. Femi Adebayo is approporiately strong as Agesinkole. Initially this strength might seem exaggerated but by the later parts of the film, where the intentions behind the characters are explained, one appreciates his character even more. Odunlade as king is as kingly as a king can be. There’s not much going on with his character asides from scenes of bewilderment and sorrow but his strength as an actor is in that he possesses these moments with grandeur in a way that others might not have been able to. Toyin Abraham as the Queen is a perfect match for this strength and never becomes overpowering here.

The film is not without flaws. The story beautifully builds a world where magic is commonplace. There is no awe upon seeing spiritual things happen in the physical, instead it’s a question of who has more spiritual power and this is portrayed in a very believable manner. What is not believable though is the graphics used to portray this magic. Yes, it might not have been as bad as nollywood of old but it still leaves much to be desired.

The movie has a rousing and appropriate end but it does also have a lot of holes in the story and characters. One obvious one is the character of Oguntade. Oguntade and his disgruntled wife are used to bring about the climactic end of this film when his father tells him to hunt down a deer and sacrifice it to his gods lest they take away his wife for having a bad spirit. Apparently this is a difficult feet to achieve so Oguntade goes and decides to steal the deer instead. A few questions pop up here, like when did this wife who has always pestered him become the kind of person that will push him to do something so out of character? And why is he so quick to decide to steal when he is built up as this good and kind man?

Another unnecessary element of the story is arguably the insertion of Segun Arinze as the narrator and that whole beginning and end scene in the art gallery. It was not necessary and did nothing to move the story along. There is also the issue with the subtitling which felt incomplete for non-Yoruba speaking audiences.