Cast: Gentle Jack, Moses Imohio, Queen Nkem Okonye, Rita Orawa, Jude Anizor, Anselm Idedi, Ifeoma Opara, Nwapa Stephanie, Blessing Nwafor,
Director: Chukwuebuka Onuma
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Run time: 2:02 hours
Nollywood has recently caught the biopic fever, with filmmakers rushing to immortalise historical figures and trending personalities. From Badamasi: Portrait of a General to Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, these attempts have ranged from the impressive to the forgettable.
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Enter Ratel Gang (VDM), a biographical film inspired by the controversial internet personality, Very Dark Man (Martins Vincent Otse).
Premise
Martins Vincent Otse, or Very Dark Man, gained social media prominence in 2022 when he started calling out cosmetic brands being sold without proper registration.
From there, he moved on to more controversial activities, such as tackling politicians, law enforcement officers, entertainers, and generally anybody considered errant.
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VDM, as he is known, has been arrested several times on allegations of cyberbullying and cyberstalking, false accusations and more.
In May, he was arrested shortly after he visited the Guarantee Trust Bank branch in Abuja, where he complained about an alleged unauthorised deduction of funds from his mother’s account.
The arrest triggered a series of protests by his followers, who dubbed themselves Ratels.
Plot
The movie title, ‘Ratel Gang (VDM)’, refers to VDM’s followers, who dubbed themselves Ratels. It chronicles his life from making sex-themed videos while scraping by.
On one of those days, he bumps into a struggling artiste, Koko Pee, who begs him for food to eat.
They form a bond, and as events unfold, he decides that his next course of action is to start using his platform to point out society’s ills.
Review
Singer Terry Tha Rapman released a song titled ‘Naija Home Video’ sometime between the early and mid-2000s.
The song was a parody of everything wrong with the quality of movies produced in Nigeria.
Unfortunately, the film Ratel Gang (VDM) falls into the trap of repetitive dialogue, poor acting, and lazy storytelling. This results in a viewing experience that can only be described as tedious and uninspired.
‘Ratel Gang (VDM)’ reminds us of an era when movie lovers had to endure much.
From the opening scene to the end, viewers mostly get to see VDM’s ring lights and phones and his alleged culprits, throwing claims and counterclaims.
A little drama outside the “fight the power” theme, a central theme in VDM’s activism, would have helped the movie.
Gentle Jack
On paper, the film promised an exploration of activism, digital fame, and Nigeria’s online culture wars. In reality, it delivered a jumbled, poorly acted, and largely unnecessary rehash of social media drama, wrapped in two tedious hours of low-stakes storytelling.
What makes it more baffling is the casting of Nollywood veteran Gentle Jack, 54, as the lead in a film about a man 23 years his junior.
The result is a disjointed portrayal that leaves viewers wondering: Who asked for this, and why did anyone say yes?
In his heyday as a famous actor, Gentle Jack was said to have been cast for a movie role because of his burly looks rather than his acting skills.
Documentary instead
Like old Nollywood, Kokopee meets VDM as a struggling artiste, relocates abroad, returns to Nigeria for a visit, and still carries the same haircut over three years.
A more impactful production would have been for the producers to curate existing VDM videos and make them into a documentary.
It would have been more sellable and saved Gentle Jack the perception of grasping at straws in a laughable attempt at reviving his acting career.
READ ALSO: Why Nollywood’s filmmakers struggle to survive — Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
Interestingly, VDM, in whose honour the film was made, has distanced himself from the production.
Days after its release, the social media activist has not posted about it on his active pages. This disconnect from the film’s subject may leave viewers questioning the film’s authenticity and credibility.
Despite its shortcomings, the film seems to have found a niche audience. According to YouTube comments, the Ratels, in whose honour the film was made, are enjoying it. This popularity among a specific audience is a testament to the film’s appeal despite its flaws.
So far, the film has garnered over 79,000 views on Rockcelly TV. Other YouTube channels that have it on their platforms also impact this figure.
Verdict: 4/10
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