Movie review: A Country Called Ghana has a good story idea but marred by poor execution

A Country Called Ghana is a collaboration between the movie industry in Ghana and Nigeria as the movie features actors from both countries.

The movie, which highlights village life in Ghana, stars Ramsey Nouah, Victor Osuagwu, Charles Awurum, and Kwadwo Nkansah and was directed by Frank Fiifi Gharbin.

It tells the story of how some Westerners stormed Ghana to steal a sacred totem. The only English-speaking Ghanaian in their target community assisted them in their quest. To conceal their real intentions, the foreigners convinced the villagers that they were missionaries but had to reveal themselves to a few whom they recruited for their goal.

This movie has a variety of plots needed to make a story intriguing. It showcases love, betrayal, quest and disregard for the cultural practices of others.

The highlife music in this movie is superb. I like how it weaves itself into the nostalgic vibe the pictures emit. However, A Country Called Ghana fails in picture quality, which is an injustice to the story.

The story itself was prolonged with some distractions that almost made me forget about the plot, which is the plan to steal a totem. A Country Called Ghana is packed with some unnecessary drama that would have made me switch to another movie if I hadn’t been at a cinema.

The movie had a good introduction with a nice pace that made me adjust well in my seat. However, after a few minutes, it dragged me into a descent of slow pace, such that I didn’t even know what I should be looking out for.

In terms of costumes, I was not impressed at all. Sometimes, I didn’t know if I was watching an epic movie set in the colonial era or something set in the 21st century. There seemed not to be consistency in the characters’ wardrobe. From the look of things, the directors did not invest much in the costume department. They just picked whatever they could find, which explains why the clothes didn’t look good on the actors. The set design and the lighting of the night scenes were poor.

The movie could have done without featuring the star actors like Ramsey Nouah who played the lead role as Frank. Perhaps, he was featured to make the movie have commercial appeal.

A good and amusing performance was displayed by Ghanaian actor Kwadwo Nkansah who starred as the only English-speaking person in the village. However, there were times his acting seemed pushed and way more than was needed.

A Country Called Ghana climaxes by making Africans believe in themselves and also showing them the need to always protect their heritage. Unfortunately, it casts a dark image on Westerners, portraying them as only being interested in Africa because of its resources.

A Country Called Ghana is the kind of movie you sit and watch at home. It is not the type to head to the cinema to see, especially when many other exciting movies are on display. I rate it a 5/10.