Black Mail

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Black Mail

2022

1h 37m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

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Popcornmeter

14%

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7 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Ray Chinda (OC Ukeje), a world-famous movie star at the top of his career receives a mystery email threatening to release a compromising sex tape and demanding a huge ransom be paid in 24 hours or...! Angry and scared in equal measure, Chinda knows it's a hoax, but can't ignore it and risk being shamed and disgraced in the eyes of his wife (Julia Holden) and his family, then getting canceled by his adoring global fans. With paying up no longer an option and warned-off involving the cops, he has nowhere left to turn. So he decides to play the situation as if it was from one of his movies... and foolishly goes after the gang behind the scam. Operating from London behind layers of VPN encryptions, Mighty Igor (Nikolay Shulik) and his enslaved assistants surf the tip of a ruthless Russian criminal dark web iceberg; lurking to sink innocent unsuspecting victims. With the clock ticking, Chinda blunders his way through a game of cyber cat and mouse that ultimately forces him to put everything he loves on the line. With his back against the wall, Chinda must close ranks with the most unlikely of allies and confront Mighty Igor; at a very dangerous time--just as his criminal empire is beginning to unravel from the inside.

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Worrying political undertones and bizarre notions of a happy ending.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 25, 2022

Full Review

Leslie Felperin

Guardian

The lowish-budget production values, gestural performances and blunt moralism of the scriptwriting puts this very much in the heightened dramatic tradition of mainstream Nigerian cinema...

Rated: 2/5

Aug 23, 2022

Full Review

Joel Fisher

Battle Royale With Cheese

Black Mail really tries to put across Ray’s troubles as well, but that only makes the movie feel like a consumer awareness show written like an episode of Line of Duty.

Sep 13, 2022

Full Review

Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

When it finally picks up the pace and sends its hero after the bad guys, it has enjoyable oomph.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 7, 2022

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

While the film takes on important issues, the approach is both over-simplistic and far too pushy for viewers who are expecting even a hint of nuance.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 31, 2022

Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

Limp thriller is both overly earnest and naively preposterous. A mess of retro ideas about marriage and men, with a protagonist who lacks agency. There’s no suspense but plenty of misplaced moralizing.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 27, 2022

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Audience Member

A real gripping drama full of powerful performances, fantastic cinematography with a lot to say about technology and contemporary society.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Obi Emelonye

Director

O.C. Ukeje

Ray Chinda

Alessandro Babalola

Reuben

Julia Holden

Nikki Chinda

Natalia N.

Ivana

Ivan Papovec

Vitali

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Synopsis

Ray Chinda (OC Ukeje), a world-famous movie star at the top of his career receives a mystery email threatening to release a compromising sex tape and demanding a huge ransom be paid in 24 hours or...! Angry and scared in equal measure, Chinda knows it's a hoax, but can't ignore it and risk being shamed and disgraced in the eyes of his wife (Julia Holden) and his family, then getting canceled by his adoring global fans. With paying up no longer an option and warned-off involving the cops, he has nowhere left to turn. So he decides to play the situation as if it was from one of his movies... and foolishly goes after the gang behind the scam. Operating from London behind layers of VPN encryptions, Mighty Igor (Nikolay Shulik) and his enslaved assistants surf the tip of a ruthless Russian criminal dark web iceberg; lurking to sink innocent unsuspecting victims. With the clock ticking, Chinda blunders his way through a game of cyber cat and mouse that ultimately forces him to put everything he loves on the line. With his back against the wall, Chinda must close ranks with the most unlikely of allies and confront Mighty Igor; at a very dangerous time--just as his criminal empire is beginning to unravel from the inside.

Director: Obi Emelonye
Producer: Obi Emelonye
Screenwriter: Obi Emelonye
Production Co: AW Broadcast, The Nollywood Factory
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 37m