I have always found Nigerian movies interesting when they take a familiar problem and mix it with traditional beliefs and supernatural elements, and Isakaba definitely does that with a community being terrorised by criminals and a group of vigilantes who decide to fight back.
The Isakaba Boys, a group formed to protect the people from criminals who have made life difficult for the community are interesting. Instead of relying entirely on the authorities, the group takes matters into their own hands. What makes them different from ordinary vigilantes, though, is the supernatural protection they have.
I particularly liked how the movie introduced the Isakaba Boys and established their reputation. They weren't just ordinary men going after criminals with weapons. Their powers made them much harder to defeat, and this immediately changed the kind of threat the criminals were facing.
As the story progresses, the conflict between the Isakaba Boys and the criminals becomes more serious. The criminals are not willing to simply disappear because a group of vigilantes has decided to challenge them, so the two sides continue to clash. This gave the movie a good balance between the action and the supernatural parts of the story. The characters don't treat the supernatural as something completely strange or separate from their lives. Charms, spiritual protection and supernatural power are simply part of the world they live in. That made the movie feel distinctly Nigerian rather than like a regular action movie that happened to add some magic. Some of the effects obviously look dated now.
The story didn't make the Isakaba Boys completely ordinary heroes. They were protecting people, but they were also operating outside the normal system of justice. That made their position more complicated because the same power that allowed them to protect the community also gave them the ability to decide how their enemies should be dealt with.
As the conflict becomes more intense, the movie keeps building toward the confrontation between the Isakaba Boys and the forces opposing them. By that point, I was already interested in seeing whether their supernatural abilities would actually be enough to overcome everything standing in their way.
The ending gave the story the kind of resolution I expected, although it wasn't particularly surprising. Still, it fitted the kind of movie Isakaba had been from the beginning. I found Isakaba entertaining. I liked the story, the action and especially the way the movie combined crime, traditional beliefs and supernatural powers. It is definitely an old Nollywood movie, and some parts may look dated today, but the story has enough personality to make it memorable.
Images are sourced here
Rating: 95/100
