Last Flight To Abuja: An Appraisal

The movie, Last Flight To Abuja (directed by Obi Emenloye) was screened for a select group of pressmen on July 10, 2012. The screening took place at Genesis Deluxe Cinemas in Lekki, Lagos. The screening was attended by reporters from various publications as well as representatives of some sponsors of the film.

Last Flight To Abuja is a disaster thriller based on a series of plane crashes, which rocked the Nigerian aviation industry in 2006. The film follows the ill-fated flight of a Flamingo Airways plane flying from Lagos to Abuja. The film features Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Ali Nuhu, and Jide Kosoko amongst others.

Last Flight To Abuja is a film, which many observers would have said Nollywood was not ready to make – especially given the technical and logistical challenges involved. However, Obi Emenloye has proved such observers wrong with this movie. The director does a commendable job of filming within the airport, inside the plane, and from within the plane.

Worthy of note are the performances of Jide Kosoko and Omotola Jalade Ekeinde. Jide Kosoko gives a convincing, confident, and masterful performance in his role as a business executive. He controls his scenes completely, and he is totally at ease in front of the camera. He leaves no one in doubt that he has been acting for a long time, and he knows his onions.

Omotola gives a master class in understated acting in her role as a lady who discovers that her fiance is cheating on her. She shows that it is possible to convey emotion without shouting or being overly dramatic. Her character is soft-spoken, but she conveys emotion using a variety of gestures and facial expressions, which is impressive.

The city of Lagos also plays a large part in the movie. The director films the city against a backdrop of commentary from popular Nigerian radio station, Wazobia FM. The result is compelling footage, which captures the quirky energy of the city of Lagos.

Last Flight to Abuja is an improvement over Obi Emenloye’s previous film, Mirror Boy. It shows that he is a resourceful director who is not limited in his imagination. Surely, one can only expect greater things from this director in future. Last Flight to Abuja opens in Nigerian cinemas on August 3.