The anticipation surrounding the release of Red Circle was one of the biggest we have seen in Nollywood for a while, and it is finally here on big screens across the nation. With lots of promises from all the teasing and sneak peeks earlier, there is something for everyone to see. Directed by the talented Akay Mason and produced by Nora Awolowo and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, the film features a potent cast combination, including Folu Storms, Tobi Bakare, Mike Afolarin, Femi Branch, Lateef Adedimeji, Timini Egbuson, and Mr.
Red Circle follows the story of Foluke and her pursuit of justice after the tragic death of her best friend, Venita. The film stars Folu Storms, Tobi Bakre, Omowunmi Dada, Timini Egbuson, Lateef Adedimeji, Mike Afolarin, Femi Branch, Bukky Wright, and Ibrahim Suleiman, amongst others.
Red Circle is a thriller and suspense film about a journalist determined to uncover a significant story. One standout Nollywood movie that crossed my mind with the slightest similarity to the Red Circle story is the Nollywood hit movie The Black Book. It is a thrilling revenge movie with a little twist of a journalist uncovering a story, which is perfect.
There’s always a high chance that a Nigerian film would not live up to expectations when the marketing is so good. This was how I felt about Red Circle but I have to say, I was wrong. I enjoyed this a lot. It was an easy watch, well paced and technically beautiful.
However, there still lingers some red in the movie’s white paint. This tiny bit comes in the shallow depth of some character development, which is fair, but more was expected because of how well the story was going.
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Many expectations were already set, from seeing the marketing of Red Circle and the team’s brilliant approach to raising awareness about the movie through its promotional videos to seeing the final result.
When you build mystery in a film, there is an important balance between drawing in your audience with questions and never showing your hand too early. You navigate with the cinematic equivalent of a poker face, biding time for the right moment to satisfy the questions of your audience. Red Circle, directed by Akay Mason, is unsure of its mystery and therefore plays its cards awkwardly and too early. What’s left in the path of this unsurety is a tangle of ideas that never quite come together.
The execution of the different moving parts of the film always leave you wanting more because there are often too many things going on. None of the story’s interpersonal seeds fully bloom.
FK and Venita’s (played by Omowunmi Dada) friendship is slightly underdeveloped, the father daughter relationship between FK and her dad (Femi Branch) never finds sure footing, the cult of the Red Circle is only ever scary through moments of expository dialogue and never in presence while all of FK’s sexual and romantic relationships are threadbare.
At its core it seems to be a story about a father’s love for his strong-headed daughter but the film seems averse to simplicity, packing more and more into its runtime till it’s bursting at its seams. It castrates itself of any impact and struggles to reconcile itself comfortably, so it ends up doing too much and not enough.
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The film sets up its story beats in appropriate but too obvious ways. You see the ways the different story parallels will collide but the collisions lack any impact. When the two gangs at the climax of the film clash as a result of Fikayo’s disappearance, it feels incomplete and devoid of the exhilarating reveal of a climax.
Red Circle takes its titular colour very seriously, putting red into scenes via costuming, production design and colour grading. It often veered into heavy-handedness with the contrast often too high and the red deployed in ways that distract instead of complement the story. This problem also occurs with its music.
It seems the film doesn’t believe in the ability of its actors and the power of silence so every moment is distractingly soundtracked with no moments to breathe. The direction, on the other hand, is too reserved. The shots (cinematography by Nora Awolowo) are adequate but when it calls for sophistication it falls short.
Written by Abdul Tijani-Ahmed (Brotherhood), Red Circle throws many things at the wall hoping they all stick. Its strength lies in the awareness of what it wants to do. It follows the path of earlier Nollywood thrillers like King of Boys but lacks the focus that makes them work.
Cast and Performances
One of the essential parts of Red Circle is the character’s performances; all characters felt real, just like it happened in real life, something one would see happen for real. This shows how much each actor and actress put in their all to bring their roles to life, contributing significantly to the impact of the movie structure.
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The cast did a phenomenal job. I was looking forward to seeing Folu Storms in a lead role and boy, did she deliver. Her character’s development throughout the film was very evident as she transitioned from being a spoilt rich kid to someone who literally had to fight for her life. While she fit the cliché of a privileged rich kid who always wanted her way, she broke protocol in the way she connected with her friend, Venita, and her neighbourhood, which was a clear contrast to where she had come from. I would have loved to see how their friendship began; it felt like a backstory worth exploring.
One of my favourite scenes was when she spoke Pidgin with a British accent; it perfectly captured how out of touch she was with the realities beyond her privileged world, adding a layer of humour and depth to her character.
The film continues to unsatisfy in the acting department with many of the actors never fully conveying the weight of their roles. Folu Storms (Crime and Justice Lagos) is adequate as a Nigerian who hasn’t lived in Nigeria a lot; she sometimes falters but is able to rise to key emotional points in the film, one being where she has to speak to Venita’s mother. The rest of the bloated cast don’t have enough material or time to make any kind of impact but a few try.
Also, another shout out to the secretary at the drug enforcement agency that doubled as a cold blooded killer. The role was played by Kanyin Eros. I rate her!
My absolute favourite character however, was Lateef Adedimeji. I’m in awe of his talent every time I see him on screen. He delivered the character of Oshisco so well and literally left no crumbs. The scene where he ordered the conductor to be placed in hot water was a perfect introduction to his character. I also loved how he related with Venita - his reactions whenever he saw her, and then how visibly his heart sank when he heard of her death. Give the man his flowers!!!
Additionally, Lateef Adedimeji delivers an impressive performance as Oshisco, a top figure among the area boys. At the same time, Mike Afolarin effectively captures the essence of Gidigbo, another character within the community of area boys.
Lateef Adedimeji’s Oshisco is vibrant as the gang leader, and William Benson (A Green Fever) is barely present but reminds you why he’s an expert of supporting roles; Tobi Bakre (Gangs of Lagos) is the sexy detective Kalu whose rivalry with a loser-ish Timini Egbuson (Reel love) character, Mustapha, for FK’s love forms the romantic core of the film.
Patrick Diabuah is another actor I really liked in this. He perfectly embodied the role of an employer who couldn’t stand his staff but was powerless to act - because her daddy owned the company. The moment he was finally allowed to sack her, he happily combusted, unleashing the rant he’d clearly been bottling up since she first walked through the door. I can’t lie - Fikayo was a terrible employee. But hey, that’s privilege for you!
Special recognition goes to Mr Macaroni, Omowunmi Dada, Tobi Bakre, Timini Egbuson, Femi Branch, Bukky Wright and Ibrahim Suleiman. They also delivered in their respective characters.
Themes and Story
I loved the themes explored. From friendship and love to grief and betrayal, they handled sensitive topics with care and precision.
The story revolves around Fikayo and her relationships - with her family, her best friend, and her “lovers.” Unfortunately, for various reasons, each of those relationships falls apart. The film takes us on a compelling journey through privilege, loss, sabotage, and the search for genuine love.
The film also explored the lengths a father would go to protect his child - even from her own mother. Unfortunately, like many Nigerian parents, he struggled with communication, and Fikayo never truly understood the depth of his love for her. I mean, the man allowed himself to get arrested for his daughter. He loved her too much.
Fikayo went about things the wrong way - ultimately pushing away the one person who was trying to protect her, only to remain trapped in the lion’s den.
I also wanted more insight into Fikayo’s family dynamics. While her relationship with her father was the central focus, her connections with her mother and brother were left underdeveloped - and those relationships felt like crucial pieces of the story that were missing. I found myself in a light hearted argument with someone at the cinema (after the movie of course) who was convinced that Fikayo’s mother wasn’t her real mother…a lot of people were confused.
Standout Scenes
The scene where the Red Circle agrees to kill Chief Holloway’s daughter, Fikayo, to protect their secret was intense. Holloway is dressed in black, as if already mourning, and accepts their terms, albeit grudgingly. As he steps out, the mercenaries move in. The gunshots and blood splatters in the background were executed brilliantly - visually striking and emotionally intense. What a fantastic scene!
Fikayo calling Venita after coming out of the club where she was murdered was too real!
The prison scene with Mr and Mrs Holloway. The scene was pitch black, with only Mrs Holloway’s outfit, which featured a touch of red, standing out. The dialogue was brilliant and gave us more of an insight into the dynamics of their marriage. Something I would have loved to see more of. They could have explored the dynamics here a bit more, to add to the depth of the story.
Cinematography and Set Design
This was the best thing about the film. They had really beautiful shots of the city and its monuments, which made for great viewing pleasure. While some shots felt underutilised or appeared in the wrong context, they still contributed to the film’s overall visual appeal. Some standout shots include:
- Shot of Fikayo in the car leaving Venitas house (for the last time). She’s looking out the window and the focus is on her but also on the outside, signifying a turning point in the film, and of course an incoming shift in Fikayo’s life.
- The montage: Fikayo’s orgasm vs Venita literally losing her breath - a powerful juxtaposition that heightened the emotional tension in the room, while showcasing life’s fragility.
- The exit shot after the revelation of the Red Circle and the brutal murder of all the staff at the club, showing how ruthless and powerful this group was.
They were very deliberate with the colours in this film. Although it showed their attention to detail, it also sometimes felt a bit much.
The colours in the film were mostly centred around the red, pink and yellow, but mostly red, which signified a highly emotional film filled with both love and violence.
The set design in the Holloway Home was really beautiful. Fikayo’s fashion or love for reds and pinks added to the colour palette of the film.
When Fikayo moved to the hood, to stay under the protection of Oshisco, her outfit colours changed to black/grey signifying her taking her power back. But did she really?
Questions Raised by the Film
- How did Venita and Fikayo become friends?
- Why was there so much red in the film?
- Why didn’t we get the villian origin story of Fikayo’s mum?
- What was the point of Oshisco’s death? What did this add to the story?
- What’s the back story on the Red Circle?
Although the viewers are left with many unanswered questions, overall, Red Circle offers a great, well paced story alongside cinematic prowess allowing us to take in the beautiful scenes of Lagos while enjoying performances from seasoned actors. It’s definitely worth the watch and so I’d rate it 7.5/10.
An exciting aspect is the seeming inclusivity of another element of some subgenres outside the movie’s primary genre, thriller.
Red Circle shines on so many aspects that make a great movie.
Image showing the Flag of Nigeria
Here is a table summarizing the key aspects of the movie:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Director | Akay Mason |
| Producers | Nora Awolowo and Abdul Tijani-Ahmed |
| Main Cast | Folu Storms, Tobi Bakre, Omowunmi Dada, Lateef Adedimeji |
| Genre | Thriller, Suspense |
| Themes | Friendship, Love, Grief, Betrayal, Privilege, Loss |
| Cinematography | Nora Awolowo |
