Movie with Abe: The Price

The Price
Directed by Anthony Onah
Released November 10, 2017

Wall Street is rarely a setting for movies about good guys leading an easy life, neatly balancing the pressures of work and the allure of making an incredible amount of money. Instead, a protagonist is usually compelled to make a bold and potentially illegal move due to the promise of immeasurable rewards. A difficult home life can also complicate matters since achieving any sort of equilibrium between a demanding career and maintaining a strong relationship with family is never simple.

Seyi Ogunde (Aml Ameen) is a rising star at his company, generally well-liked by people and respected by those above him. The Nigerian-American young man frequently clashes with his sister (Hope Olaide Wilson) and mother (Michael Hyatt) about the care, in addition to financial support, that he is expected to provide for his father (Souleymane Sy Savane), who has recently suffered a stroke. As he begins a new relationship with Liz (Lucy Griffiths), Seyi isn’t able to resist the chance to score big by acting on a tip that could make him susceptible to legal action later on if its origins are revealed.

The status that Seyi has achieved in his life in America stands in stark contrast to the way that others perceive him. One scene best summarizes his experience, when a woman walks by him on the street and clutches her purse, prompting him to lash out and give her reason to be scared by yelling that he went to Harvard and she shouldn’t be afraid of him just because of how he looks. The immigrant experience also plays a part in his romance with a white woman, though the secrets that Seyi keeps about his personal life and work do far more damage than anything stemming from his heritage does.

Ameen may be known to American audiences from his role as Capheus in the first season of “Sense8,” a show that allowed him to have much more fun and exhibit a livelier energy. Here, he is a decent lead, but doesn’t carry the film with much enthusiasm. Hyatt, a recurring guest star on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” is the film’s strongest asset, enhancing a domicile storyline that resonates much more powerfully than the Wall Street-set plot. There isn’t much that stands out here from a number of other films and stories, and the lack of any distinctive features makes this moderately engaging film less than thrilling or memorable.

B-