Crossroads

In Crossroads, Mrs Bamisaiye (Damilola Adegbite), a senator’s wife, returns home in a bad state. She says she was robbed by four men on the way home from her boutique. The suspects are rounded up and she identifies them as the culprits. The suspects however, deny any wrongdoing, so the film’s plot centres around the interrogations and investigations by an Ikeja police squad led by Area Commander, Joseph Kilanko, as he tries to uncover the truth on his last day on the job.

The acting and dialogue might be the weakest point of the film and seeing as it is not terrible, this might be a compliment. The performance of most of the cast lacked any form of naturalness and the dialogue, even including those in pidgin English are read out with a deliberateness that deprived the film of a natural feel. Even the attempts at comic relief by the characters of Detective Dare (Seun Akindele) and Jonjo (Olakunle Idowu) are delivered with this same purposiveness that leaves them missing the mark. RMD as Kilanko, is unnatural in his role, strutting around in his uniform almost as if it is a costume; the deliberate way he takes off and puts on his beret is not unlike a man testing the wheel of a new car.

Adegbite’s acting however is beautiful. Her halting, flustered recollection of the events to Kilanko immediately after the incident, and then later, her sedate poise and inscrutable air as she identifies her stolen items in the station and her visible struggle to maintain this dignified mien when she comes face to face with the suspects is top notch acting. Also memorable is Gideon Okeke‘s effort in portraying Emomotimi Jomoh, a suspect who came to Lagos from the ravaged Niger Delta region. He puts visible effort into conveying the frustration and pain he feels for his plight and that of his homeland. The entire character of Detective Abacha screamed Hollywood. A grim-faced interrogator in dark shades and a smug suit dripping of self importance and known for his own ‘unique’ interrogation methods (spoiler – it’s a taser). The only justifiable purpose of his role was to represent the illegal torture of suspects by some law enforcement officers.

The climax and ending of Crossroads do not disappoint. Unlike in most of Nollywood’s attempts at this genre where the finish is underwhelming and loose ends are left frayed, the plot is tied up neatly enough. And although the film’s plot is, like most of the industry’s non-comedies, unoriginal, it is comforting that its filmmakers have done a decent job with its execution. Still, it must be said that while the movie, like most crime films, relies on some coincidences to throw the scent off the real criminal, there are too many of them.

The slip that eventually reveals the culprit to the audience is disappointing. That they would make such a silly oversight and be so careless as to give themselves away the way they did is not plausible. However, it is only the audiences and a single character who are privy to this and it is Kilanko’s investigation—with, I must add, a generous splash of his ‘good old instincts’—that leads the police to the truth.

The highest points of the film are earned in its direction and technical works. Its cinematography and post production are at international standards. This can be attributed to the union of top cinematographer, John Demps, and a host of foreign crew members for which we have Prime Video to thank. Deep colour tones and saturation coupled with exquisite camera angles create an atmospheric cinematography that is intense and immersive.

The direction and editing are nicely done. As Mrs Bamisaiye describes each of her alleged attackers, the camera cuts to them being arrested by the police one after the other, and as the suspects give their different accounts of the events leading to their arrest, the film makes alternating cuts between the suspects speaking and a visual presentation of their stories. The soundtrack too is excellent; brooding, and in key moments, heightened to an urgency. The film however opens with Johnny Drille’s ‘Wait for me’, playing over credits and it need not be said that the love ballad with its plucky guitar strings and lighthearted percussions is a poor song choice to introduce a pensive crime drama such as this.

Another laudable aspect of the film is its ability to infuse many social messages about the state of the country without coming off as preachy. It touches on many social problems including the injustices in the criminal system and the dangers of unemployment. It also helped to polish the image of the police, chiefly through the character of Kilanko; well spoken, smartly dressed and scrupulous. His ethical uprightness has him dismantling illegal police checkpoints set up for extortion, dismissing the paparazzi to protect the identity of the suspects and refusing to transport suspects until their guilt is proven beyond all doubt. It is an effort to correct the impression held by many that all police officers are venal, unprofessional and unconscionable. The beautiful thing is that this attempt at social engineering is handled well enough to not detract from the film’s plot.

Overall, Crossroads is a directorial and cinematic delight that manages to entertain despite many unremarkable performances.