Title:  AT THE ALTAR (1 – 4)

Starring:  John Dumelo, Mercy Johnson, Biola Ige, Sylvester Madu

Synopsis:

A bodyguard takes the blame for his client when she drives drunk and hits a pedestrian. He spends more time in prison than expected and he’s out for blood when he’s set free.

Review:

Morgan (Sylvester Madu) is hired to be a bodyguard to Cynthia (Mercy Johnson), the king’s daughter. She leaves a party drunk one night and hits a pedestrian with her car. Morgan agrees to take the blame so that the royal family is not publicly humiliated. He goes to prison but it was agreed that after six months, the King would use his influence to pardon him. A year goes by and Morgan is still in jail, his mother is ill, and his bank account is depleted. Resentment brews. When he is finally released he’s out for revenge.

Let’s Talk. First off, Mercy Johnson and John Dumelo are billed as the stars of this movie but they are actually a marketing tool because they were clearly supporting actors and not in starring roles. Sylvester Madu is the writer of this movie and also acted in the film. He gave himself loads of screen time playing the lead. Someone should have told him that he is NOT a leading man type. He had some good moments but at times seemed stiff and unconnected to the character.

The movie started off all right but began to fizzle somewhat when it jumped around and became confusing. The questionable parts became clear later on through numerous flashbacks. The truth of the matter is that most of the story could have been avoided if Morgan didn’t let Cynthia drive drunk.  He allowed a drunken woman to drive him around as he sat alongside her in the passenger seat. Where was his regard for her life and his own? He was her bodyguard for crying out loud!

A better and more plausible story would have been for Cynthia to jump in her car and speed off, leaving Morgan at the party. Then as he chased behind her in another car, attempting to stop her, she could have accelerated and then hit a pedestrian accidentally. That would have been better than Morgan sitting in the car with her watching her drive drunk.

Also, there is a scene where hostages are taken. In this situation, if Morgan was out for revenge then why didn’t he just shoot Cynthia or Jerry instead of innocent victims who have nothing to do with his grief? Further annoying is the fact that his jealous, whiney, girlfriend became a criminal alongside him. Really? This was so out of character for her and hard to swallow.

Ultimately, the story could have been told in two parts with some expert editing. Although “At the Altar” does have a sufficient amount of drama it still isn’t compelling enough to recommend. EJECT

Follow @TalkAfrMovies