Synopsis
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTABLE!
Recognized as Uganda’s first action film, Who Killed Captain Alex? is about the aftermath of a police raid in Kampala in which a police captain is killed.
2010 Directed by Nabwana I.G.G.
Recognized as Uganda’s first action film, Who Killed Captain Alex? is about the aftermath of a police raid in Kampala in which a police captain is killed.
Absolutely amazing. The DIY production, the gleeful violence, the feverish "Video Joker" emcee narration, they all mark this (at least to my questionable mind) as pure, completely guileless exploitation cinema. This is the work of people excited to see themselves on screen, an unmediated product of their own self-image. Outsiders and smarter people than myself can dissect it as ethnography, and they should, but above all it just wants to be "Uganda's First Action Movie", and it's great.
not entirely sure why this is showing up in the "popular reviews" section for this page, but I guess I can't really complain either
star rating is just kinda arbitrary because this movie breaks the rating scale
Citizen Kane, The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, Back to the Future, Goodfellas, Schindler's List, Vertigo, 2001: A Space Odyssey...
and now, Who Killed Captain Alex.
Objectively, the film is complete garbage.
But if you look at the circumstances under which this film was made and consider why it was created at all...
...it's a FRICKING MASTERPIECE, NO DEBATE.
I love that this was made on a $200 budget in the slums of Uganda in the middle of a civil war and it's not a depressing drama about oppression or inequality (not that those movies are not great or important - check out Jafar Panahi's This Is Not a Film). It's never been more clear that the people making this had fun - hilarious, contagious, infectious fun - in the slums of Uganda in the middle of a civil war. They even deleted this film to make room on the hard drive just to do it again! My take? If they can make the best of their situation, what's our excuse?
I don't know why this review got so serious it's a really fun movie 😂😂😂
Thanks Yellow!
Edit: I read up a little bit on it (Wikipedia lol) and apparently the budget was only $85 🤯
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTABLE
Who Killed Captain Alex makes you question what is and isn't a good movie. Although I gave this half a star to be consistent with my other ratings for 'so bad they're good' movies, this is not comparable to those. I love Troll 2 and The Room because they're so terrible and bizarre that it's highly enjoyable, but it's all an ironic love. While it is true that this movie is terrible and bizarre, making it highly enjoyable, the difference here is that the love is absolutely genuine.
This is a passion project made in the slums of Uganda with a budget of 200 dollars and absolutely no expectations of anyone outside of of the director's village…
“everyone in Uganda knows kung-fu!”
me: “wait what is this again?”
VJ Emmie’s voiceover every ten minutes: “UGANDAS FIRST ACTION MOVIE! THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE!”
There is so much passion behind this movie it is beyond a rating or review. Shot for $200 in the slums of the African nation of Uganda, this is a movie made by film fanatics. It’s action-packed, wild guerrilla filmmaking. The people who made it are having fun and I had fun watching it. That’s all that matters.
As a Ugandan action movie it was very interesting. Cinema is all about voyeurism and it sure feels good to experience a different cultures take on something. In that regard, it's a piece of art for sure and gets points for originality.
The Video joker idea feels like a proper drive in kind of idea. Elvira does something pretty similar when she hosts. More of a fan of Joe Bob Briggs method of coming in every 20 minutes or so. Don't really like the movie being interrupted. Sometimes in this it worked well just hearing the way the guy speaks and says certain words. Truthfully thought it was a little over used and the jokes were hit and miss. However,…
This movie has a fucking MC. I haven’t laughed out loud at a movie this much in maybe ever.
Work with what you got, you can make something great, you might just have to work out of the box.
This film is truly an action packed movie with a lot of combat and rapid action. You should really expect the unexpectable. This truly is cinema.
ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵃⁿᵈᵒ
A movie that's hard to rate because of the context and what it wants to do... which is to entertain you with awesome action scenes, I would say it accomplishes that.
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