The African Game (2009) starring Luca Ward, Bryony Afferson, Rachel Grant, Jean Louis, Piero di Prima, Elsbert Anthonysamy directed by Michele Massimo Tarantini Movie Review

The African Game (2009)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Luca Ward in The African Game (2009)

A Doubt in Africa

Robert Hill (Luca Ward) is an assassin living in London who doesn't do emotion only when it comes to his cat. His next job takes him to Africa where he is picked up by the chatty Kate (Bryony Afferson) who mistakes him for a tourist wanting to see some wildlife. As Robert sets about his business he uses Kate to run certain errands but he becomes more and more suspicious that maybe the mission he has been sent on is not all that it appears.

Okay I am going to give "The African Game" a bit of praise, it is the only praise I will give but it deserves it. It starts with some style, snappy edits, sped up sequences and well that is about it. The style is nothing new and is not as expertly done as it could have been but at least it wasn't completely amateurish in look.

But as I said that is as far as my praise can go and it has to be said that "The African Game" has to be one of the worst dubbed movies I have come across in a long time. We have voices which don't fit the characters, we have lips out of sync but worst of all is that it sounds like it has been recorded in the studio, lacking the natural sounds you get from hearing the actual actors speak. It becomes distracting and not in a good way especially with the voices being so different to the actors we are watching.

But then there is the storyline and it is a flat assassin storyline as we watch our hired hit man go after someone and then begin to think he is being set up in something much bigger. There is nothing new to it to make it stand on its own two feet and when that is combined with other weaknesses it makes "The African Game" a slog. As to those other weak elements, lack of chemistry between actors and less that amazing action are just some of the issues.

What this all boils down to is that whilst "The African Game" is by no means the worst movie I have ever watched it leaves a lot to be desired. From the disembodied voices to the lack of chemistry between the actors it is a movie which is hard to keep interested in.


LATEST REVIEWS