God put me on when He let me find an Instagram post promoting Click Click Bang a month before its premiere😎. Who wouldn't want to watch a star-studded movie? We're talking about Patrick Oketch (Charlie of 'Mother-in-Law'), Jacky Vike (Awija of 'Papa Shirandula'), Idah Alisha (from 'Tahidi High'), Dennis Mugo (O.J. from 'Tahidi High') and the man himself, Brian Omollo (Khaligraph Jones)🤩.
Set in 2007, it is the story of Kelvin Montego (played by Basil Mungai), a 22-year-old orphan with dreams of playing soccer abroad and supporting his ailing big sister, Mokeira (played by Jacky Vike). He does get the chance to be drafted for a major football team abroad, but unfortunately, he is unfairly sidelined in favour of another player who was a son of a well-connected politician😔. Dreams and hopes crushed, he resorts to trying other ways of making a living and ends up leading a life of crime after being not-so-lucky with finding a gainful hustle. Kasisi (played by Nyakundi Isaboke), a seasoned thug and the hood's saviour, teaches Kelvin the ropes and within no time, they are terrorizing the streets together💣. The plot might seem basic, but there were some insane plot twists there which are sure to have you on the edge of your seat. A fun fact would be that this movie was inspired by true life events and was narrated in one of Abel's videos in his 'Young & Stupid' series on YouTube.
A few minutes into the movie, I was curious about the movie's standpoint on the theme of crime, which it was heavily based on. Just like a normal person, I do not support criminal activities but the film had us emotionally attached to Kelvin😓. Knowing his situation and reason for becoming a criminal already made me have a soft spot for him. Despite that, having been a victim of unarmed burglary myself, it was hurting to see Kelvin and Kasisi rob people of their hard-earned money and possessions😞. Sure, life is unfair, but just because one has more than you do doesn't mean that it's okay to rob them. However, I picked on the major moral of the theme which points to bad governance. Think about it: gross misconduct and failure of leaders to do their job have a negative trickle-down effect on the local mwananchi. The poor remain poor and the wealthy remain wealthy, if not wealthier than they were. If Kelvin got his fair chance to join the prestigious football team abroad, he wouldn't have had to lead a life of crime. Nonetheless, Kelvin's choice is questionable and one to completely disagree with. Yes, I am speaking from a point of privilege, but I still stand by what I said. Maybe, just maybe, he got what he deserved in the end💁🏽♀️.
This film will be liked by anyone into action movies, who appreciates local content and is a fan of cinematography🎥. The latter, in my opinion, made the film worth watching. It gave the film that oomph and I cannot imagine it without all that sauce director Phil Karanja and co-director Michael 'Smallz' Munyoki added to it💥. There was meticulous attention to detail and I am glad to have caught that. In one scene where Kelvin was severely punching a local (Mr I'm-Killing-Them-B*tches😂) at the videogame base, he left the premises and picked up a call. The hand he used to throw punches was the same one he used to pick the call; it was bloody and I was glad that they didn't assume that we wouldn't notice that. As small as it may seem, that scene won me over💯. I remember a scene in one local movie I watched when I was younger where the cameraman could be seen in the reflection of a mirror mounted on the wall😬. It lives rent-free in my mind. I haven't been around too long to see the big strides that the Kenyan film industry has taken, but this film was impressive😏.
I'm the kind of person to read credits at the end of the movie, but unfortunately, the credits weren't rolled during my screening. I would like to give their SFX person their flowers for the good work💐. We saw people get shot right in the head and got blood and a bit of brain. I loved to see that😁. The scar that Nyakundi's character had on their right eye? Chef's kiss😘. The nails sticking out of the slain thug's head and the fight scenes? Phenomenal🤩. It was a job well done👏🏽.
My first impression of this movie was that it seemed like a composition✍🏽. The good thing is that it seems like the kind of composition that was highly praised because of the plot twists😀. Well, Abel does seem like the type of person who wrote the kind of compositions that were read out to the class and other higher classes. I appreciate the comedic stances that he wove into the story. It made the film fun to watch because you'd expect to get a laugh or two every once in a while🤗.
The casting was also top-tier✨. I was in love with what I made of the casting: the older and seasoned actors took a back seat and let the newbies run (and eventually steal) the show. Having said that, it was super fulfilling to see the performance of Basil Mungai, an upcoming actor in the Kenyan film sector. It was interesting to see him switch roles from the polished and quiet character he played in 'Kina' to this rough and ghetto-bred character in Click Click Bang. I was afraid that I would cringe because of the stark difference in character, but Kelvin's role was well executed. He did reveal that he incorporated the method acting technique and it makes sense as to why it was a success🥵. Another thing to love about the casting was that they picked actors who could bring ghetto characters to life in a realistic and unforced way (I'm looking at Jacky, Nyakundi and Shigwan!). Kudos to the casting director💐!
Here's what I didn't like about the movie: the posters used in the promotion😶. I was scared it was giving me 'Who Killed Captain Alex' vibes (if you know, you know😬). It seemed low-budget to me...and I second-guessed the quality of the movie. I couldn't help but wonder whether it was meant to lower the audience's expectations at the beginning only to blow our minds with the movie. The posters could have looked better, in my opinion🤐.
Would I recommend this movie? Yes, yes and yes‼. It was worth my money and worth the wait. The film was of top-notch quality, the actors completely ate (they left no crumbs!), and it was great seeing how far the local film scene has come.
That being said, get your tickets to the next screenings in Nyali Cinemax, Garden City Mall and The Junction Mall next weekend (29 and 30 July) at 7 p.m for Ksh 1000/= only. Alternatively, you could pre-buy a link to the movie at philittv.com for Ksh 250/=.
Have you watched it? Maybe you could tell me what you thought of the movie😊.