RATTLESNAKE- THE AHANNA STORY; CAN CRIME BE JUSTIFIED? (A REVIEW)

I love the fact that it is a narrative kind of movie. This 2020 Ramsey Nouah remake of the movie Ahanna Rattlesnake is one of the most brilliant Nollywood works on Netflix.

It is the story of a young man Ahanna (played by Stan Nze) whose life took a nosedive into the wilderness early in life when his father fell sick and died mysteriously. He was left behind in the village and his mum left for Lagos to his rich dad’s estate accompanied by his uncle.

He is raised by his grandmother, graduates and when he cannot find a job, he goes to Lagos in search of his runaway mother in hope of finding solace. He is robbed as he board one chance bus and then he gets to his father’s estate to find his mum living large and making babies by his uncle while his own siblings are sent to the USA to live with their Aunty.

He is pissed at his mother and walks out and was able to seek out his high school friend who was living with his younger sister. It turns out the friend, Nze, was owing some dangerous man who had beaten him to pulp and threatened to kill him if he does not pay back. Ahanna comes up with a plan to rob his uncle and mum knowing they keep cash in the house.

In the course of the heist, the uncle revealed he planned and killed his father with his mum. Things go south and he shoots his mum accidentally.

The way the story unfolds is so artistic. There is a finesse to it, as well as to the way they kept switching from the Igbo Language to English, a practice that gave some deep kind of punctuation to the pathos expressed throughout the movie.

The way the movie progresses and switch between narration and drama is a text book case of creative flawlessness. The switch between Igbo and English Language sounded like melody to my ears. I enjoyed watching every scene in the movie.

Ahanna then braced himself, accepted his new self as an armed robber and convinces his high school friend and his sister who he has something with to make up a gang and become their own bosses.

The theme of unemployment and tight economy as the trigger for social ills is explored in this movie. I like the personalities that make up the gang. There is Sango (the 17 year old computer wiz), Egbe (ex soldier), Amara (the female of the crew), Bala (the clown of the crew)Q.

Their adventure of The Armadas, the name of the gang played like scenes from James Hadley Chase novels. Ramsey Nouah is indeed a classy creative through and through.

Then one of the heists go south and they go against their code not to shoot and killed policemen. All hell break loose and the gang decide to lie low. The leader of the gang, Ahanna a.k.a Agwo decides to take it a notch higher and shares money to the indigent ones in the society.

According to the story, that is when the gang starts making headlines on the tabloids and therefore the attention of the government. The government is traumatized because a criminal gang is showing more love to the masses than them.

Then they start going public; going clubbing and holding wild parties. The underworld get wind of them and a price is placed upon the head of The Armadas.

A lot goes down and the Armada pull off a robbery of an expensive art work. The heist goes successfully but it turns out Ahanna saved himself and gave up his friends to the law. Karma catches up with him and he is forced to pull off another heist with his old gang who regain their freedom only to be part of the heist. Ahanna schemes again and adds some details to his plans which he did not disclose to members of his gang. He pulls off an escape plan for himself and other members of the gang but Nze gets caught up in the moment and is shot down. Nze’s sister who had had a twins for Snake (Ahanna) tracks and confronts Ahanna and his wife and son, and shoots Ahanna’s wife in cold blood as the son looks on. A tragic ending.

This remake of Rattlesnake; the Ahanna story, is streaming presently on Netflix. I consider it one of the best Nollywood movies on Netflix and I give 4 over 5 which is the highest any Nollywood movie I have reviewed so far has gotten. Parental Guidance is advised as the movie contains scenes of strong language, violence, nudity and sex.

By O’star Eze