Son of the Soil – Review

Basically, Son of the Soil is one of those revenge thrillers where the lead seems perfectly capable of dismantling an entire criminal empire before breakfast. At first glance it looks like Nigeria’s answer to John Wick or Taken, but it takes those familiar revenge movie ingredients and roots them in modern Lagos, where corruption, organised crime and family loyalty drive every decision.

The story follows Zion, a former Special Forces operative who returns home after the murder of his sister. Naturally, he isn’t exactly the sort of fella who believes in letting the police deal with things.

Razaaq Adoti carries the film with real screen presence. He has the physicality you’d expect from an action lead, but more importantly he gives Zion enough emotional weight that his mission never feels like an excuse to simply move from one fight scene to the next. You can believe his grief, and that makes the violence feel less gratuitous. The action itself is where Son of the Soil really shines.

Fight choreography feels refreshingly practical, avoiding the over-edited style that plagues a lot of modern action cinema. Punches land with satisfying impact, gunfights have nice tension, even with the stock muzzle flashes and occasional odd foley choice. The film isn’t afraid to let scenes breathe instead of cutting every half-second. It’s clear director Chee Keong Cheung knows exactly how to stage action that feels exciting without becoming MTV chaos.

Visually, this is at times, stunning especially since all I really know about Nollywood movies is the short clips seen on Social Media that look like they were shot on a potato. Lagos becomes a character in itself, moving from clean high-rises to crowded backstreets and industrial locations without ever feeling like a generic backdrop. The cinematography has a confidence that’s often missing from lower-budget action films, making the whole production feel far more expensive than you might expect.

Of course, that’s not to say everything lands perfectly.

Some supporting characters don’t receive quite enough development, and there are moments where the dialogue leans into familiar action-movie clichés. If you’re looking for a twist-heavy thriller full of moral ambiguity, you may find parts of the story fairly predictable, and you definitely don’t want to look too closely at some of the weapons.

But honestly, that’s not really why we’re here.

You’re here to watch a determined ex-soldier systematically dismantle the people responsible for destroying his family, and on that front Son of the Soil absolutely delivers.

Perhaps what’s most impressive is what the film represents. Son of the Soil demonstrates just how confidently Nigerian cinema can compete in the action genre. It doesn’t just raise the bar for Nollywood action films; it suggests an exciting direction for where they’re heading next.

If you’ve enjoyed films like John Wick, Extraction or Man on Fire, there’s a very good chance you’ll have a great time here. It’s not perfect, it’s clearly a low budget indie, but it punches well above its weight.

Son of the Soil may borrow from familiar revenge-thriller territory, but it brings enough personality, cultural identity and genuinely impressive action to stand comfortably on its own two feet.

The film makes its UK digital debut on 13 July, courtesy of Trinity Content Partners, following its acclaimed theatrical release.