Missed Opportunities Abound in "Criminal"

Director Dolapo Adigun attempts to recapture the magic of the gritty Nollywood action films of old in Criminal, but the stakes never feel high enough.

Written by: Niyi Akinmolayan

Directed by: Dolapo Adigun

Starring: Uzor Arukwe, Funlola Aofiyebi, Bryan Okoye (Ekene), Chuks Joseph (Obi), Austin Onuoha, Gbugbemi Ejeye, OG Tega, and others.

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The average Nigerian millennial grew up with the familiar cat-and-mouse game of "Police and Thief" – a staple of both playgrounds and the news. Back then, shootouts between law enforcement and criminals were a near-daily occurrence, a reality reflected in the gritty Nollywood action films of that time, such as Hostages (1997) and State of Emergency (2000). In her debut feature film Criminal, director Dolapo Adigun attempts to recapture a little of that era's magic for Anthill Studios.

Criminal is a hostage drama featuring Uzor Arukwe and Funlola Aofiyebi as its lead characters. Set in a bustling Lagos hospital overwhelmed by victims of a car accident, the story follows Dr. Amara (Funlola), a principled doctor who finds herself in a deadly dilemma when Uzor (Uzor), a dangerous criminal, storms in with his goons and demands medical treatment for his critically injured brother Chima.

When you think of a hostage story, you expect high-stakes drama filled with tense negotiations and a ticking clock. This film gets some of the basics right: Uzor’s demand is simple and achievable – Dr. Amara must treat his dying brother. The hostages are present – the hospital staff and accident victims caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Criminal stumbles where it matters most. The stakes never feel high enough, and as the story drags on, the tension dissipates. The film fails to establish a solid foundation for more impactful payoffs, leaving viewers to wonder why Uzor is so fixated on Dr. Amara treating his brother. Sure, she's set up as the best surgeon in her office, but that alone doesn't justify his obsession.

Great hostage dramas delve deep into the psychology of their lead characters, exploring more than just the surface tension described in this movie’s promotional tagline: “What happens when an unstoppable force (Uzor) meets an immovable object (Dr. Amara)?” In better films, events don’t just happen for the sake of it. There are proper setups, meaningful backstory details, and character motivations that propel the plot forward. Unfortunately, Criminal offers little of that depth.

An even more grievous offense is how unrealistic the film feels for the most part. Even under gunpoint, it’s hard to believe that Dr. Amara would refuse to treat a patient, criminal or not, to save the lives of others who are at risk. Her actions come off as irresponsible and built for spectacle, making it difficult to connect with her character. Additionally, implausible situations, such as Chima surviving hours after being shot without first aid, stretch the limits of believability. Chima must be the very definition of long life and prosperity because, despite being near lifeless upon arrival at the hospital, he manages to survive the film’s runtime.

It’s difficult to take this film seriously. The opening is chaotic and confusing. While trying to make sense of the unfolding events, I noticed a glaring mistake around the 0:04:45 mark, where a nurse is seen cleaning the wounds of one of the accident victims – except there’s no wound to clean. Though the scene is brief and shot from an angle meant to obscure such details, the mistake is glaring enough to catch without much effort.

One silver lining is the impressive set and production design for the interior scenes. As with many productions from Anthill Studios, this one was built from scratch, and the attention to detail is commendable. Another bright spot is Uzor Arukwe's performance as the titular criminal, Uzor. This role is a departure from his usual characters, and he brings a certain intensity to it. However, even that is far from perfect. The acting across the board tends to be too loud, unnatural, and, at times, discomforting to watch. Both Uzor and Funlola often overact. The supporting cast is barely worth mentioning as their characters are underdeveloped and serve little purpose other than to move the plot along.

Uzor Arukwe and Funlola Aofiyebi both star in “Criminal” | Anthill Studios

The film’s shortcomings don’t end there. The writing does little to inspire or thrill as expected from a crime thriller of this nature. We know little about the people at the center of this drama and don’t care much for them. Chima, who is supposedly at death’s door, fails to evoke any real sympathy or urgency. Dr. Amara, who should be our hero, is so weakly developed that it’s hard to root for her. The film doesn’t invest in the characters in a way that allows the audience to connect with them emotionally, making the entire hostage scenario feel even more hollow. Without a deep emotional anchor, it's difficult to feel anything when the stakes are supposedly at their highest.

The editing choices and the film's chronology, which takes us back and forth in time, are functional but unremarkable, leaving one to wonder if better decisions could have been made. The plot is convoluted, and the sequence of events only adds to the confusion.

Working in Greenleaf Hospital must be torturous for regular staff just trying to do their jobs and go home. The film is littered with unnecessary medical jargon, making it feel as though the script tried too hard to sound intelligent and ended up coming off as silly. There's no way professionals in a hospital, especially during a crisis, would speak this way. The amount of unnecessary medical lingo is overwhelming, perhaps exacerbated by the unconvincing performances of the actors cosplaying as doctors. Whatever the case, it’s a struggle to sit through.

Criminal held intriguing potential in the hands of a studio unafraid to experiment. It had the makings of something great. Alas, the most experimental thing about this film is that it entrusted a big-budget production to an untested director who had little involvement in the story development, and these disconnections show. Unlike the classics of old, where climactic gun battles in films like State of Emergency felt earned, emerging naturally from the back-and-forth between hostage-takers and law enforcement, Criminal misses the mark. It rushes to an unearned conclusion, leaving the viewer unsatisfied and yearning for the depth and complexity that define a truly gripping hostage drama. More preparation was needed before stepping into the surgical room here, and now this patient suffers for it.

Criminal is currently streaming on Prime Video.

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Rinzy’s Rating: 2.5/5

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Chuks Joseph, Uzor Arukwe, and Bryan Okoye in “Criminal” | Anthill Studios