''Tòkunbò'' is a 2024 Nigerian Action drama film distributed by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. The film was directed by Ramsey Nouah and produced by Joy Odiete and Chris Odeh. It was filmed in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and Sèmè the

Republic of Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

. The film stars Gideon Okeke in the lead role, alongside

Chidi Mokeme Chidi Mokeme (born 17 March 1972) is a Nigerian actor and reality show host. He hails from Oba in Idemili South, Idemili South LGA of Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria. He was the host of ''Gulder Ultimate Search'' reality show. Early life ...

, Norbert Young, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Stanley Chibunna, and Darasimi Nadi. The film follows Tòkunbò, portrayed by Gideon Okeke, an ex-car smuggler who is given three hours to deliver a government official's daughter to her captor, with the threat that his family will face dire consequences if he fails. ''Tòkunbò'' was released on

on August 23, 2024, by Ramsey Films Productions.

Plot

The film ''Tòkunbò'' centers on the life of its character, Tòkunbò, (Gideon Okeke) who initially delivers illegal cars to a notorious gangster named Gaza (Chidi Mokeme) while anxiously awaiting the birth of his child. Witnessing Gaza's violent nature, Tòkunbò decides to leave his life of crime behind and focus on his wife, Lisa, and their newborn son, Chris. Eighteen months later, Tòkunbò who now works as a cab driver, struggling to provide for his family and ensure that Chris receives the necessary medical treatment for his heart transplant. However, his earnings are insufficient, forcing him to seek financial help from Gaza once more. When Gaza refuses, Tòkunbò returns to driving his cab, where he stumbles upon a cell phone left behind by a transporter who delivers illegal goods for substantial sums of money. Seizing the opportunity, Tòkunbò assumes the identity of the transporter and begins making deliveries. His resolve wavers when he is tasked with transporting a young girl named Nike (Darasimi Nadi) to the Sèmè Border. As the situation unfolds, it is revealed that Nike is the daughter of

Central Bank A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...

Governor Folashade (Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi), who initiates a full-scale operation upon learning of her daughter's abduction.

Cast

Music

The film's

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

is composed by Rex Ricketts, while the

background score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s are composed by DJ Neptune, Patoranking Peter Akor (GunzZ), and Prettyboy D-O. The first single "''Gaza''" was released on September 24, 2021.

Production

Ramsey Films Productions and Sozo Films began developing ''Tòkunbò'' in late 2022 and continued over several months. The script was written by Thecla Uzozie and Todimu Adegoke and produced by Joy Odiete and Chris Odeh.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

for ''Tòkunbò'' took place in Lagos, Nigeria, and Sèmè the

. It was directed by Ramsey Nouah who had previously worked on several projects including '' Living in Bondage: Breaking Free''.

Release

In July 2024, it was announced that Netflix had purchased the rights to distribute Ramsey Noua's new movie; the movie was initially set to release in August 2024. ''Tòkunbò'' had its premiere in Lagos, Nigeria, on August 19, 2024, with sponsorship from Amstel Malta. The film was subsequently released on

by Ramsey Films Productions on August 23, 2024.

Reception

Critical response Archi Sengupta of ''Leisure Byte'' describes the film as an entertaining and gripping experience that keeps viewers guessing until the very end. By focusing on social issues, it effectively utilizes the "time running out" trope to heighten tension and engagement give the film 3/5 stars. Pramit Chatterjee of DM Talkies rated the film 1 star out of 5 stars and wrote “Tokunbo is a sleep-inducing watch; nothing more, nothing less.” Daniel Hart of ''Ready Steady Cut'' rated the film 1 star out of 5 stars and wrote “With B-movie practices straight out of film college, the Nigerian movie lulls audiences into a sleepy experience.” Confidence Cletus of ''

Premium Times ''Premium Times'' is a Nigerian online newspaper based in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The newspaper was launched in 2011. The online medium is notable for investigative journalism and reports, among other fields. Recognition * Nominated ...

'' stated, “While the video

color grading Color grading is a post-production process common to filmmaking and video editing of altering the appearance of an image for presentation in different environments on different devices. Various attributes of an image such as contrast (vision), ...

managed to establish the tone for action scenes, the acting was flat, and the movie was boring”. She also praised Darasimi Nadi's " performance," and wrote, "Darasimi Nadi has always been an impressive child actor. In her role as Nike, she performed exceptionally, being able to switch moods. However, she could have delivered a more robust performance with more practical direction". Confidence also stated that

delivers a stand-out performance as Gaza, the notorious gangster. His performance is commendable. She gave the film an average rating of 4/10.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Film, Nigeria 2024 films Nigerian action drama films Nigerian drama films English-language Nigerian films Nigerian action films Films shot in Lagos 2020s English-language films Nigerian thriller films English-language action drama films