"THE TRADE," REVIEWED: TICKS THE BOX OF ENTERTAINMENT, DRAMA, AND HISTORICITY
"The Trade" is an intense and exciting police chase
The protruding belly, the skinhead, and the "igbothick" accent are all undeniably a portrait of a notorious kidnapping kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, who for seven years escaped and remained elusive from the police. During this time, he earned the nickname "Billionaire kidnapper" by the Nigerian Police Force, which believed that, in some operations, he made up to one million dollars as ransom. Before then, he was a drug dealer in the eastern part of Nigeria. "The Trade," written and directed by Jade Osiberu, isn't only a portrait of this infamous personality but also about his kidnapping activities, as the movie is inspired by true events.
"The Trade" follows the story of Eric (Blossom Chukwujekwu), whose sole means of livelihood is kidnapping. These kidnapping activities —"trade"—are undertaken with a whole sophisticated team of accomplices and informants, despite its leader's, Eric's, modest educational background. For years, Eric has continued to terrorize Lagos State and its denizens by abducting and demanding huge ransoms. And during this time, he has been on the radar of the IRT (Intelligence Response Team), the Nigerian equivalent of the FBI (I know what you're thinking. The team was even goaded for that in the movie)— of the NFP (Nigerian Police Force). This elite team is under the command of Bakar (Ali Nuhu), whose costly blunder in the past still haunts him and who has become an object of scorn in the entire force. Charles, (Shawn Faqua), an ambitious and promising rookie, joins the IRT, only to find out how deeply corrupted the whole force is. Though he leads the interrogations, he's never really instrumental in the development of the story— the onus fall on Bakar. Meanwhile, Eric moves on to his next operation by kidnapping Doris (Rita Dominic), the owner of a transport company, God's Protection Transit, the stage is set for a heart-pounding pursuit by the IRT.
Kidnapping is a burgeoning and lucrative industry in Nigeria today. According to The Conversation, Nigeria ranks among the kidnapping hotspots in the world. In the earlier part of the second decade of the 2000s, individuals whose parents were rich were usually the targeted victims of organized kidnappings, but this isn't the case anymore, as even the less privileged and vulnerable are now targeted by kidnappers for exorbitant dollar ransoms. In this regard, "The Trade" traces the genesis of this vicious industry to one man known to have become rich from this trade, which earned him the nickname "Billionaire Kidnapper."
"The Trade" socially comments on the corruption issue that continues to fester and how it affects the Nigerian police force in their combat against a social menace such as kidnapping. In a scene, Eric reminds Ifeanyi (Chris Iheuwa) of his deals with politicians at the expense of an impoverished mass—a fight between the haves and the have-nots, the poor and the rich,—the economic and social inequality— but I am not sure if this is a case of moral justification for Eric, and he expects us to root for him.
The director and writer, Jadesola Osiberu, didn't solely gravitate towards the criminal activities of Eric but also sought to tell the story of a husband and a father who loves his children and whose maxim and philosophy is that a man who can't take care of his family isn't deemed to be called a man, which is something for which he resented his father.
But we're left at odds about whether he loves his wife, Chidinma (Waje Iruoebe), in comparison with the lavish love he showers on Nneka (Nengi Adoki). Chindinma at times feels more like a prop, with nothing meaningful to contribute in the movie. While Nneka, on the other hand, in a meaningful, contributed to the development of the movie.
Jadesola Osiberu's character build-up of Eric relies on a stereotypical representation through the heavily-accentuated "ibothic" English. This exaggerated accent almost makes the character comical. Eric's associates and accomplices maintain a reasonable level of accent, and it is assumed that they all have at least the same level of education. So, why is Eric portrayed as so different when he speaks? In interviews conducted after his arrest in 2017, Eric spoke differently than how he is portrayed in the movie.
Apart from a few scenes at the beginning of the movie, we are not shown much of the IRT investigation until one hour into the movie. Then suddenly, we find ourselves in the middle of an operation without knowing how the team got there. This raises questions about how they were able to locate the man who was a mystery to them, especially since they seemed to be making little progress before this sudden shift in the story.
The cinematography and editing in the film were impressive. The climax of the movie, juxtaposed with an upbeat score, created an intense and exciting police chase that gave off Micheal Bay's "Ambulance" vibe.
"The Trade" successfully checks the boxes of entertainment, drama, and historicity. Very few movies in present-day Nollywood can boast of accomplishing all three of these aspects.
Rating:6/10
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