Aba Blues

Nollywood crime dramas usually unfold in Lagos or Abuja. Aba Blues relocates to Aba, Abia State, Nigeria’s commercial manufacturing heart. That choice alone gives the film a texture that separates it from genre peers.

Angel Anosike leads as a young woman navigating Aba’s underground trade networks after her brother’s disappearance. Toni Tones provides formidable antagonist energy. Director Toka McBaror shows genuine range here, the pace slower and more deliberate than his action work, the violence contextualised. The Igbo dialogue passages are handled with care.

Verdict: Geography is destiny. Aba Blues earns points for going somewhere Nollywood hasn’t been before, and earns more by doing it with craft.