With Tech and tech careers being a hot topic in the Nigerian corporate world, it was really only a matter of time before our storytelling and its different mediums began to reflect that. The Man for the Job is one such endeavour. This Niyi Akinmolayan-directed flick attempts to tell the story of the fast-paced world of Fintech.
A Man for the Job is a dramatic telling of the trail of Joseph Barbara (Uzor Arukwe), a struggling but hardworking banker who decides to make ends meet by taking up the position of a driver on a ride-hailing app. There he meets Zina (Temi Otedola), a programmer working for a Fintech app that lets people save their money online.
Zina is frustrated by bugs in the app that are letting someone take money out of people’s accounts without their knowledge. If the bugs aren’t fixed, the company would crash. Right there, Joseph uses his knowledge to fix the issue, proving himself to Zina. But the story does not end there as Zina begins the hunt to find the person siphoning money from the company and she quickly gets caught up in the hunt for the perpetrator of the thefts.
The Man for the Job is one of the most detailed-oriented films to grace the big screens. Where in most Nollywood films, whenever “business” is discussed, it is done in such vague terms that one cannot help but feel that the actors know little to nothing about the supposed professions they are playing. It was not so in this film.
Tech lingo abound, the authentic feel of a typical workspace dedicated to app building and such was very well represented by the set designers, customised tees bearing the name of the app were worn by staff, typical of such a work environment. Even the app looked and sounded like something that could exist in real life. This is a huge credit to this flick and the producer.
Acting-wise, while we are still not entirely sold on Temi Otedola’s acting, there is a marked improvement from her first foray into showbiz. Uzor Arukwe was incredible; Nollywood veterans like Ini Edo who plays Joseph’s wife delivered. The dialogue between these characters was lively and engaging.
Cinematography is much improved in much of Nollywood and this film is no exception, with nicely framed and shot scenes, The Man for the Job is easy on the eyes.
The main culprit that dragged this movie down was the story. It seems to be a sticking point in a lot of movies to lose the thread of the story through jumbled-up storytelling and too-long scenes. This film takes too long to get to the meat of the matter, which is the conflict, and even when it finally meanders its way to the point, it doesn’t focus on it. There is no demarcation between flashbacks and current events, which makes for a slightly confusing movie. And it is chock-full of pointless subplots.
The aforementioned drawbacks, however, don’t detract from the fun you’d get seeing this movie, as there is practically no movie that can’t be criticised.
The Man for the Job is at cinemas near you.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
