Straight from the slums of Uganda comes an action-packed movie made for $200. It’s as poorly made as a film can get but it’s got more heart (and laughs) than most blockbusters – it’s Who Killed Captain Alex.
WHO KILLED CAPTAIN ALEX
Uganda, 2010, Nabwana I.G.G.
The story behind Who Killed Captain Alex and the people behind it, Ramon Film Productions and its founder Nabwana I.G.G., is good enough to be made into its own movie. At the very least it has made for an excellent article on Vice. The film studio contains some very enthusiastic Ugandans and not a whole lot of reliable technology — or electricity for that matter. In fact, Ramon Film Productions has made over twenty films but never had the software to properly archive them, meaning many of them are unable to make it to the wider world like Who Killed Captain Alex.
With hard work and the help of an American that was so enamoured with the film’s trailer he went to Uganda, Who Killed Captain Alex is available for English speaking audiences and it is just fantastic that it is.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BymeLkZ7GqM&w=500&h=375]
There have been a couple of bonkers micro-budget Nigerian films covered on this site before, but those had (not so) hidden conservative Christian agenda. Ramon Film Productions intentions are pure — they just want to entertain.
Looking at the trailer, you may see the complete lack of production values, PS1 quality CGI and blood spatter that looks like it was made in MS Paint and think you are in for a so-bad-it’s-good film. And in a way you are, but in this case the filmmakers are in on the joke.
RFP know what they are making is technically very poor — they’re not delusional. So while the actors play it straight, they are complemented by what they call a ‘video joker’ — part translator, part narrator, part MST3K jokester and part hype man.
The video joker, Emmie Bbatte, provides running commentary throughout the film, all with a jolly Ugandan tone. The film has subtitles, but they aren’t exactly comprehensive, so it helps that Bbatte points out key points. Doubly so because the story of this action flick is stereotypically thin.
The plot revolves around conflict between the Tiger Mafia and an army troop lead by their courageous leader Captain Alex. The army captures the mafia leader and in return the mafia storm an army base and kill Captain Alex. Then helicopters happen. I don’t remember much of the plot, I was honestly too mesmerised by the action scenes and the video joker’s unbridled enthusiasm.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JABdS-HN5A&w=500&h=375]
Emmie pretty much echoes the sentiments of the viewer. During the slower parts of the movie, he cracks jokes and says things like ‘action is coming, I promise you.’ But when the action starts, he goes ballistic.
‘Movie movie movie!’ he shouts. ‘The movie’s on!’ ‘Commando!’
‘Moooovvvviiieeeeeeee!’
The action itself looks every bit of its $200 budget — that is to say, it looks ridiculously cheap. The guns look like toys and every kill is punctuated with an explosion of the worst looking CG blood you’ll ever see. The actors go over the top during these scenes, which pairs well with the dodgy effects and as a result, I found myself laughing throughout every action sequence.
Oh, and there’s martial arts fighting. ‘Everyone in Uganda knows kung-fu,’ Emmie says during an early scuffle. To be more accurate, one person in Uganda, or at least one Ugandan on set, knows kung-fu — the man Emmie calls ‘Bruce U’. You know, like Bruce Lee, but not. That said, the actors try their best and it is certainly not the worst fighting captured on film.
Who Killed Captain Alex is a blast throughout its short length. And personally, I found it kind of inspiring. These men from the slums of Uganda (which they call Wakaliwood) use every resource they can to make movies and entertain people, no matter how silly they turn out. Even if you’re not usually a bad movie fan, I think this is worth a watch.
Availability: Who Killed Captain Alex can be downloaded for free from Wakaliwood website or watched on YouTube.
