A French production set in Senegal focusing on a mercenary tribe of fascinating antiheroes called Bagnui’s Hyenas proves to be one of the freshest and most exciting films of the year. No real need to catch up on decades of geopolitical history in the region, the movie's quick and fierce exposition delivery film brilliantly brings you up to speed on most everything you need to know in less than 3 minutes. The first half of the movie very much feels like a Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino film, fast paced intelligent dialogue and interaction, a clever script, and fascinating subjects doing questionable deeds. Brilliantly portrayed is the easy camaraderie and brutally efficiency by which this team operates, and the script cleverly demonstrates the decades of history they’ve endured together. They organically incorporate details of how they all speak sign language, having all toiled in the diamond mines, their past traumas and encounters, and what drives them both individually and as a team. The core trio are battle hardened and mythical heroes in the region, but each carry their own ghosts and motivations, and there are twists and surprises related to these reveals that underscore the atrocities committed in the region. Midway through the film comes the twist, a ‘la ‘From Dusk til Dawn’ and what started as a heist suddenly spirals into survival horror. Fascinating about the cultural difference in this film is that supernatural threats are taken not just at face value, but with active working understanding. The Hyenas are considered sorcerers, with at least one experienced shaman In the troupe, and while the nature and methods to deal with spirit threats might differ between tribes or region, these characters have practical knowledge of it. Honestly, the biggest drawback to the film is that the trio are so effective, once the nature of the spirits are understood, they manage to quickly neutralize most threats with ease. The coda seems a little too literal and on the nose, but otherwise, this is a film certainly worth your time and attentions.
Saloum (2022)