Movie Title: The Man of God
Director: Bolanle Austen-Peters
Cast: Akah Nnani (Samuel), Jude Chukwuma (Samuel’s father), Binta Ayo-Mogaji (Samuel’s mother), Osas Ighodaro (Teju), Dolapo Fapson (Rekya), Atlanta Bridget (Joy), Mawuli Gavor, Eucharia Anunobi, Olumide Oworu (Samuel’s brother), Nelson Enwerem.
The Man of God is the story of a ‘church boy,’ Samuel, raised by a very strict father, Jude Chukwuma, who in a bid to make him conform to the purpose of God for his life, estranged him. Although, more than the story of a person, it is the story of what has become the norm in the Nigerian society as far as the church is concerned, a commercial centre where people carry out nefarious activities such as stealing, fraud, etc., in the name of the ‘Lord.’
Samuel leaves for school one day after his usual squabble with his father and gets on the fast life. He moonlights between singing, doing and selling deals drugs and other shady business with his accomplice cum mistress – Rekya Danbo. Save for the intervention of Peju, a family friend who later becomes his wife, he would have dropped out of school. Samuel becomes a highly successful preacher after a series of events in his life, but he soon meets his waterloo when he tries to flee the country in a bid to run away from his nefarious acts.
Hits
Casting – The right choice of casts made the movie stand out.
Acting – With the right choice of casts, top-notch acting was not difficult for The Man of God. All the cast embodied their roles and Rekya in particular was a delight to watch.
Misses
Storyline – The Man of God is largely okay, there are some parts that seemed a bit exaggerated. One of such is the way the movie ended.
One, the fact that Teju not only reported Samuel to the police but also handed over incriminating materials that could keep him behind bars for life. Especially for a woman who seemed to have nowhere to go.
Second, it has become a sort of norm for Nollywood to always cut out the punitive measures doled out to deserving criminals. The writer might have wanted us to guess what happened to Samuel after he was apprehended but something better than an overgrown facial hair would have been a great hint.
Conclusion
The Man of God is a good enough movie though it could have been better.
