Director: Robert O Peters.
Casting: John Dumelo, Efa Iwara , Nancy Isime, Sharon Ooja, Adam Garba, Nnamdi Agbo, Oluwaseyi Akinsola, Allison Emmanuel and many more.
About the Nollywood Netflix Movie, Hijack 93.
Determined to grab the attention of the Nigerian government about their dissatisfaction as a result of the annulment of the 1993 elections by the then military government, four young men hijack a Nigerian airplane carrying persons of interest to the country.
The Nollywood triller, HIJACK’93, is a frictional recount of the events of October 25, 1993.
We get a glimpse of their individual lives and how they finally got recruited into a revolutionist group.
What happened on October 25, 1993?
Richard Ogunderu, Kabir Adenuga, Benneth Oluwadaisi, Kenny Rasaq Lawal, the four young, daring men who hijacked the Airbus A310 flight did so after the military government annulled the June 12 elections, an election that was considered one of the most free and fairest elections in Nigerian History.
Moshood Abiola ( MKO) of the social democratic party had won the election by a landslide. There was hope in the hearts of Nigerians. The military rule was finally over and the government will be run by the people and for the people.
The results of the elections would later be considered null and void by the government, setting the entire country into a frenzy.
A lot of citizens were dissatisfied by this development. Four of these citizens were Richard, Kabir, Benneth and Kenny who would take matters into their own hands. In a desperate bid to grab the governments attention and reclaim their stolen mandate, they took 197 hostages on board.
Four days after this act of protest, they would be arrested and tried in Niger.
There were no casualties during the course of the hijack.
The four teens would go on to serve 9 years in jail after which they would tell their story for the world to hear.
Let’s get into the details of the Nollywood Netflix triller drama.
The movie opened with an assembly of young men being addressed by an older man and one could easily spot the first flaw of the movie.
For a movie set in 1993, if this very vital information about the historical film wasn’t stated before the first scene, it is easy for viewers to assume the movie was set in very recent times and not 31 years ago.
While the costumes could indicate the settings of the film, the cinematography was too modern for an even that happened in the early 1990s.
A lot more could have been done with the setting, the costumes, the cinematography and the makeup to give us that vintage feel.
HIJACK’ 93 and it’s Plot holes.
What happened to the bomb?
When the plane took flight, the young men had mentioned there was a bomb on board. What happened to it? Was it disarmed? And if it was, why weren’t we shown. Was there even a bomb in the first place or was it all part of their plan to frighten the crew?
Notable positive sides to the Nollywood Netflix triller, HIJACK’93.
The dialogues were natural and each hijacker had individually complex lives.
The interactions that the protesters had with their hostages were all so heartwarming. From a heartbroken man finding his way to his faith again to a father reminiscing his dead daughter while holding a newly born airplane baby.
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Each Hijacker was humanized and not just given a name as the storytelling did its job at making us connect with these complex characters on an emotional level.
A stellar performance from Allison Emmanuel. His character, Òwìwí, was properly interpreted. His facial expressions really relayed the character’s eccentric and impulsive nature.
In conclusion
There have been a few different accounts of what happened on October 25 1993 but this Nigerian Netflix movie has done a decent job at properly portraying the events and the motives behind what happened on Airbus A310.
On a scale of 1 through 10, Hijack’93 is a 6. It’s not bad but they could have done more with the plot to build suspense. The cinematography and setting could have also been a little more vintage to depict the time period.
