Rated X Throwback: Suicide Mission

Directed by Fred Amata for Great Movie Industry Limited.

Briefing

Enriched with the acting dexterity of ace actors Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD) and the 1989 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Regina Askia; this mid 90s Nollywood movie is in the ‘A’ class of its era. The story revolves around a young, successful, married man, Austin (RMD), who couldn’t resist the temptation of ‘popping cherries outside his garden’. He met with a pushy beauty, Monique (Askia) who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted; even if it meant sleeping with a ghost. While it was a fling for Austin, Monique wanted him for real and was hell bent on having him for keeps.

Execution

With both parties knowing what they wanted, they went all out for it. Austin got his prize first and started a ‘no-strings-attached’ extra marital affair with Monique but little did he know he would be getting more than he bargained for. As soon as she noticed that he wasn’t committing, she flipped to the fetish page of the book and consulted with various voodooists to lay claim to her want.

Although she did a lot of unbelievable things including having sex with a wraith at a graveyard, all did not yield the desired result until she met a particular sorcerer that eventually got the job done.

Although now a clichéd story-line in Nollywood, its freshness then and good acting made a great movie of it. Austin’s subconscious was arrested by magically trapping it in a jar, leaving him enchanted by the beautiful fling he sought. He married her into his home, spelling a turnaround for his first wife and two kids.

Monique wouldn’t stop there; she plotted and successfully got Austin to send his first family packing, tragically leading to the death of his son. The scenes of sorrow in the movie were also captivating and could bring viewers to tears, at least back then when there weren’t too many touching movies to actually have an impact.

Debriefing

Karma, however, ensured that evil would not dominate good as the movie got its twist from some spirituality for a ‘happily-ever-after’ ending. Monique was exposed by a priest after she ran mad; a repercussion of mishandling a charm and Austin’s first wife was also implored by a priest to return to her husband.

Austin again got spiritual liberation when he attempted to hang himself as the rope wouldn’t hold. So hopefully the movie has been able to warn that infidelity and covetousness are both suicide missions.