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One of Nigeria’s most celebrated actors, Genevieve Nnaji, generated quite the buzz last year when she announced that Netflix had acquired content rights to her latest film – Lionheart. Many were quick to conclude that the film must be superb, to have attracted Netflix’s attention.
Well, while it is not a completely wasted effort, there are a lot of things that are wrong with the story line. Ms Nnaji had gone for something different, telling a corporate story about a struggling transportation company at the brink of failure. She, however, failed to properly research the workings of the corporate environment prior to making the film. And now, the corporate guys are noticing all these errors and speaking up about them.
Here is an actual banker’s appraisal of the “highly-acclaimed” film. You may consider not reading further if you haven’t seen Lionheart and plan to do so anytime soon.
Lion Heart, The movie that should never have been made
So, I’m just going to tell you right off the bat that this movie isn’t worth your time. There you go, I just saved you 90 minutes of cringe. You’re welcome.
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I’m gonna start with what I liked about the film. The camera work and cinematography were done well and I liked the extensive use of depth of field to blur out the background objects. Also, the movie will be more appreciated by Igbo people for obvious reasons.
Now let’s get to the nitty-gritty, starting with the inaccuracies. Firstly, companies hire auditors to audit their books. So, in essence the auditors work for you (that’s how they get paid after all), and not the other way round. But Lionheart’s auditors come from an alternate reality world where Lionheart works for them and they even come to give a notice to pay down. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s only banks and/or bank’s legal solicitors that issue demand notices to debtors. And this is always done in a written format, not verbal.
A CEO cannot borrow from any bank without the board’s approval. So, that entire plot line is a joke. The only way he can borrow without the board’s knowledge is if he’s borrowing the money for personal use. But that’s not the case here.
No bank will grant you a loan based on the promise of a contract. Instead, the contract must be awarded first and sealed. Banks usually go through the terms and conditions of the contract before determining if it’s going to be worth financing.
There is the glorification of morning devotion which I think should be banned in offices. Offices are not places of worship. And it is unprofessional to use the company’s time to be screaming early in the morning inside a corporate environment.
By the way, what sort of expertise does the uncle from the village have, that he had to be invited to run/oversee a multi billion naira company on a whim?
One of the bankers they meet with is wearing a tux at work. Who does that?!
No bank manager will ever proposition a customer who comes to ask for a loan openly in the presence of the customer’s colleague. That could earn him a swift dismissal if reported. Apart from that, a branch manager does not have the authority to approve the amount of loan they are asking for. In fact, most loans are not granted at branch level and usually go through a series of departments for approvals. Also, the company is a debtor and they are going to appear on the various credit bureau portals for having past due obligation with several banks. As such, no bank will touch them with a 10 foot pole.
Have the makers of this film actually ever been to a police station before? You don’t just run into a police station and right into the cell area while yelling on top of your voice. Police stations have gate and you’ll be searched (or not, depending on which one you go to) and after that you’ll be allowed to say who you’re looking for. People coming to bail people also don’t rush out of the car like ‘lunatics’. Also police people don’t beg people at their own office.
PS: Don’t be fooled, rich people don’t know what a police station looks like in Nigeria. That’s probably why they didn’t bother doing their research on that. In reality, the bank manager would lose his job for being a horny dog while the rich people will scurry back to their office without having any police involved. But this is Nigeria and they had to dramatise it. #EpicFail
And what in the world is Peter Okoye doing there? Cheap thirst trap maybe? He needs to hit the gym by the way; he’s not all that anymore.
Can we talk about that secretary for a second! I’ve been to many offices and never have I seen a tea girl so enthusiastic, happy and cheerful about serving tea.
After watching this movie, I came to one conclusion:
Nobody cared to do research on any of the plot lines they used. They don’t know how bankers dress or even conduct themselves, they don’t know how loans work, they don’t know how mergers work, they don’t even know how police stations work.
Netflix should seriously hire someone competent enough to screen shovelware shows from their platform.
Other notable mentions:
- Nkem Owo was mostly annoying and over-dramatic.
- Genevieve wore different dark green dresses for 70% of the movie, I don’t know what’s up with that.
- There was no prior appointment before meeting the Hausa man in the north for such an important discussion like that.
- All the characters were flat and poorly developed, they were all shallow and one sided. But then again I wouldn’t blame them because the movie doesn’t really have a plot.
- That dude(don’t know or care about his name) in the board could’ve used a lip gloss
- Phyno was just as irrelevant as Peter Okoye.
- Forced and cringy jokes/comedy.
- Pete Edochie’s performance was the best, but then again when you’re acting (or at least pretending to) alongside people like Genevieve, you’ll be the best in everything.
This article was written by Mazeli Mbanefo, with contributions by Emmanuel Abara Benson. Mbanefo is a Relationship Manager at one of Nigeria’s many banks.
Nice speech…. Now you’ve got that off your chest I hope you’re proud of yourself. Ehen before I forget when you’re paid for the info pls tell me
Don’t mind the swollen belly filled with hatred.
Apart frm the lack of thorough research which may be as a result of budget and time, i rate the movie B. The concept is nice, cinematography on point, editing exceptional,casting fair,storyline fair
What kind of hate resides in this unfortunate person’s heart…. The typical arrogant and ignorant bank worker….
Some people can never deal with the truth. But this guy just made perfect sense.
It’s funny, the things I overlooked when I saw that film. Zero research. Poor fact-checking.
Accept it or not, this is the best review of Lionheart I ever watched.
Hi guys. How about we just calm down for a second and perhaps see the actual points here?
points like she should ‘crawl back to obscurity’. The author’s life must be a mess.
Okay, maybe just ignore that part? Genevieve is a huge star and we all know that. We all know that.
If i had read this article on Linda Ikeji, I wouldnt have been surprised but on NAIRAMETRICS… AH!!! Common..
The movie was disappointing, but this article wasnt a critique, it seemed like a letter written by a scorned ex.
Okay. I get it… Linda Ikeji.
Nairametrics would normally not publish this kind of stuff. But then again, we got interested because of the “corporate theme” of the situation.
I hope it’s clear now.
My problem is that you are not a movie critique. Nah. You never pointed the lessons beneath thr weak storyline. You are just vexed and surprised at how much she’s made. On a critique level, the movie had a flat climax, Genevieve’s acting basic, Nkem Owoh was very natural. People run in a state of dilemma. These Auditors, we were never told if and if not they were from the bank. Have you ever heard of moving with your wit? Have you heard of experience being a the best teacher? Have you been told that there is no qualification needed before one becomes a supervisor? But wait, did you even hear that the uncle was the manager of a branch in Owerri and they both began the business together?
Lemme ask you, did you see the movie?
If yes, was it from Netflix or illegal download?
Speaking of the 70% green, it is called an emerald green. Now that colour was deliberate. It is called a THEME. If you watched the movie, you’d notice that twice, Nkem Owoh wore the said colour. There was a deliberate drop of the said colour in every scene. But, you wouldn’t see it, why? Because you brought together negative energy from every accessible platform and added your own imagination.
The movie had it flaws, but saying it was a waste, and calling out that 39 years isn’t her lucky age and making jest of someone else’s effort without being thoughtful while you’ve done nothing close to what she has is inhumen.
Mr. Banker, thank you for your not well thought out criticism.
Great! Now we are having a debate.
Some of your points have been noted, Ms Ellen.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for such a good reply. I just tried ooo. I don’t think he actually watched the movie, maybe someone told him (summary of the story, and he added his own imagination to it)
Poverty is a sicknesses n ththe two are both poor.sorry guys.
Okay! Now, whoever you are, you’ve got me confused. And I don’t like to be confused about anything or by anyone. So, it’s goodbye for now. When you are ready to talk about poverty, stop being anonymous.
Nice write up but mention the fact that there only one policeman who also act as the ipo of the case as well as, they trying to imitate the sheriff system of west where the cell is as visible as anything. Just my 1k0bo
That’s a fantastic observation, Olumide. ?
Sad sorry soul. Sily analysis. Face your bank job and sit up!
Don’t agree with this author one bit. You are one of those who hates being an African but love being a whitenman that you can NEVER be. Cinematography is about “suspended disbelief”. That is, making the plot look real. As far as I am concerned, the movie Lionheart succeeded in this regard. No body wants a perfect movie. If you can make one, go ahead. But I love the movie period!
I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with your “suspended disbelief” theory. Here is what I think – Art should be a translation of human experiences. And human experiences are usually realistic.
Now to your second point, I don’t think the authour is trying to be a white man. It’s interesting how you can even think that…
Art for art sake! When art tries to imitate life it loses itself. it only keeps you in suspense of the writers imagination.
And u can still say that about science fiction? U can create your own world for your movie and attach different possibilities to it.
Please, her uncle is not from village. He is the manager of owerri branch. You are the one who didn’t research well. Most things that happen in a film does not happen in real life : this is why it is called film.
But have you really watched good movies and see them bring storylines to life,am not saying the movie is all that bad but I think we can do better,the reasons why Americans are aceing is most probably because they know critics exist so they top research well.
It took a lot of self control for me not to be abusive as you were in this rubbish you wrote down… I am more shocked to see that you graduated from a Nigerian University… Your certificate needs to be revoked. Bankers don’t wear tuxedos under which Law in Nigeria? – When Bankers now wear jeans and Polo to work, including their traditional outfits on some selected days as part of their company regulated wears… You haven’t seen any happy P. A like Genevieve’s P. A, how many P. A’s have you met in your life?
I don’t need to lecture you on cooperate practice… But just to help your ignorant life, that movie was written by three Award winning writers aside Genevieve and the producer of the film. You do not know company practice more than the Netflix team that deemed the movie perfect before they purchased it.
And if by any chance you did a crash course on corporate practice, let me remind you that there is a clear difference between corporate ethics and reality… A movie is a reflection of life, how life is and not how it ought to be. Assuming there was a corporate law against borrowing of money by an MD without the consent of the Board members does that mean that law isn’t violated on a daily basis by people….? It didn’t not occur to you that in the movie the auditors apparently have a long time personal relationship with Chief Obiagu coupled with the fact that they were angry that he went against their advice and took the loan in contention and they were telling Adaeze the consequences of failing to offset the loan..
No need going further to lecture you coz apparently, in your bid to spread your hate and envy for the makers of the film, you just revealed your ignorance and the need for you to ask for a refund of your tuition fees from the University you claim to graduated from coz you obviously learnt nothing tangible.
Thank you for your insults, Mr Desmond.
Are there any more actual comments, please…?
Mr Desmond, you saved me a lot of energy. I ciuldnt have said it better….
What is even annoying is the peacock like arrogance exhibited by both writers…