76 was a competent and well made movie, despite its flaws but we have to say it didn’t deserve all those awards it won at the AMVCAs over the weekend.

In another year, maybe. If the competition weren’t as stiff. But not when 93 Days was in contention. Suffice it to say that there is nothing 76 did that 93 Days did not do even better (except make money, of course.) Visually, 93 Days is leaps and bounds ahead of any other Nigerian movie released in 2016. Rita Dominic deserved her acting award for being the one consistent spot in a movie that zigged and zagged her character with little consideration for logic or reason. But 93 Days delivered great performances across board. From Bimbo Akintola’s aching portrayal of Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh to the starmaking rawness of Somkele Idhalama’s wrenching and desperate Dr. Ada Igonoh.

In terms of pure storytelling, 93 Days pulled of a feat of coherence, depth and sheer emotional weight, where 76 stumbled and faltered time and again. Who can forget the scene where, perhaps not knowing fully well how to engineer the plot point, the script has characters inexplicably arguing in the dark in a pivotal scuffle.

Or the part where Ramsey Nouah’s character returns home and goes to sleep, neglecting to mention to his wife that he’s in danger due to a coup plot, and resuming at work the next day like all was fine. 

We can’t complain much though. While 93 Days was much more deserving, 76 wasn’t exactly a disastrous option.

Things could have been worse. Much worse. I mean, The CEO or A Trip To Jamaica could have won major awards. (*shudder*)

Editor