3 Cold Dishes is a Nollywood movie that showcases female action, reminding me of the 90s Hollywood hit movie ‘Set it Off’ featuring Queen Lateefah and Jada Pinkett.
It stars Adebodje Wayidi Adeleke, Aldot Bossou, Bambadjan Bamba, Fanta Dumbai, Fulbert Bayili, Mentor Ba, Osas Ighodaro, Prescilia Ahoue, Ruby Akubueze, Sourou Gouvoeke, Taiwo Adeyemi, and Wale Ojo. Oluseyi Asurf directed it.
Synopsis: Three women from Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin reunite two decades after surviving human trafficking to execute a daring, multi-country revenge plot against the men who once destroyed their lives.
The beauty of this movie lies in its ability to showcase several languages, including Yoruba, Fon, French, and English. Yes, the subtitle may have helped me as a viewer, but I never felt lost when characters spoke languages other than English.
3 Cold Dishes (The Actors)
The ladies (Main characters) in 3 Cold Dishes had two parts – One depicting them as young, perhaps teenagers, and another part showing them to have come of age. Both parts were awesome and interesting to watch as the movie delved into the world of sex trafficking. It showed how a promise of hope and a good life turned out to be the biggest lie, leading one into the worst nightmare no one ever prays for.
One thing I like about 3 Cold Dishes is how it showcases different African countries, including Nigeria, the Benin Republic, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire. It must have been a great work by the producers touring those countries and scouting for locations. Their effort gave me a glimpse of the cultures in those countries. The scene where Giselle went to spy on Abdul-Wakil before abducting him was awesome. The rich display of culture, the masquerade and the dance choreography wowed me. The directors did well to put that scene together. The costume was something to die for; not loud but clearly a good depiction of what you see when a YouTuber visits an African village to highlight their festival. What about the music in that scene? Brilliant and fitting for the mood. Mind you, some of the soundtrack was produced by singer Burna Boy, who also serves as the Executive Producer of the movie.
3 Cold Dishes
Regarding location, a part of the movie was told using cartoon images. The cartoon showed an abandoned, dilapidated aeroplane by a beach. During that part, I felt the directors wanted to showcase something elaborate, such as an aeroplane by a beach, but couldn’t find one, and so they had to tell that part using cartoons. Surprisingly, later on, the abandoned aeroplane was actually shown, with actors inside. That’s a kudos to the directors for finding such a location.
The choice of actors in 3 Cold Dishes is on point. The three ladies are gorgeous. The actresses who portrayed their teenage years and adulthood were fit for the roles. They are sexy and charming, and they effortlessly exhibit the pain that motivated them to seek revenge. As for the other characters, including the human traffickers, soldiers and desert hoodlums, the directors deserve credit for assembling them.
The desert scenes in this movie blew me away. The location was something in itself. The action that took place there was another layer of flavour. It was interesting seeing bandits on motorbikes chasing after the ladies who were driving a car in the desert. The stunts pulled were believable. The bandit who fell off his bike after he was shot by one of the girls must have gone home with a pain in the butt due to the way he fell. Another stunt that blew me away was when the car conveying the girls fell off a cliff. The directors showed us the frantic moment the girls were in while inside the tumbling vehicle. I respect that scene a lot.
3 Cold Dishes deserves 8/10 for so many reasons, which I won’t state here so as not to spoil it for prospective viewers. It is recommended.
