Nigerian born Hollywood actor Ofu Obekpa who has had roles in the Marvel tentpoles Black Panther and Captain America: Civil War takes the plunge into independent movie production with Klippers, an action-packed story of obsession, vengeance and survival.
An unhinged fellow, unsatisfied with the terms and circumstances of his divorce, and burning with the fires of revenge, hires a hitman to help dispatch his ex-wife. Permanently. Steven (Ofu Obekpa), the troubled hitman selected for the mission surprises no one when he falls for the mark, Clara (Libby Blanton).
The mission becomes complicated when an extra hitman is drafted in to ensure no lose ends are left untied. Steven and Clara find themselves fighting for their lives, even as the film explodes into a free for all gun battle that is unimpressive for Hollywood standards but may prove excitable for local consumers.
Obekpa may have had experience working in big budget films but Klippers which he also wrote and directed is more like a B-movie vanity project. Klippers plays like a project destined for the straight to video market in the United States where it is set. Obekpa’s foreign credentials, coupled with a little publicity and distribution spend, rather than the quality of the film- although the action scenes help- are most likely responsible for the film’s Nigerian theatrical release.
Klippers isn’t must see entertainment although fans of shoot ‘em up action flicks may be tickled by some of the set pieces that Ofu Obekpa cobbles together. Before the bullets start to fly though, Klippers struggles to hold attention thanks to a dull and uninspired cast. The actors mostly appear to be going through the motions. The story is straightforward enough. A man stalks his ex, she fights back, he wants revenge, she proves more than a formidable adversary. Somehow a dangerous kingpin is involved. The plot thickens. Steven and Clara meet. Sparks fly, bullets follow shortly after.
Drummer (Conphidance), a crazed marksman whose character- essentially a walking cliché attendant with all the accompanying stereotypes plus horrid dialogue- hails from Nigeria is drafted in to muddy the waters.
The shootout which Obekpa has long been building up to is set up. No one expects MissionImpossible: Fallout levels of action from Obekpa considering the tier of film he is working in and budget available to him, but that is no excuse for the sloppiness that riddles the entire length of Klippers.
Running time is reasonable, at a tidy one hour thirty minutes but Klippers constantly feels like it is outstaying its welcome. There are gaps in the plotting as events just happen without much thought to logic but at least when the bullets start flying out, action fans will get their money’s worth.