Mpakani - Story of the North

I don't know what the hell that 1st poster was expecting to watch but this is a very well done show. BUT, you have to understand the context in which it was created and I think that this went right over the 1st poster's head.

I grew up in Kenya, and remember the Somali based incursions that would cross the border and threaten the national security of Kenya back in the late 80s and through the 90s.

This show does a very good job of placing the viewer into the front seat of the a special task force that has been charged with containing this threat. My cousin served in the Kenyan army during that time and whenever he would come to visit, he would tell us a lot of stories of encounters that he and his team had had across the border at that time. Additionally, I too served in the army, but in the U. S. and I love love love how this show portrays the subtle military nuances of the Kenyan military, a lot of which I could relate to as a fellow soldier.

A few other things that I loved about this show was how it highlighted the personal struggles of members of this task force. Which, by the way, is real life. It is not like these warriors just go fight and they have no personal issues to deal with. This show was excellent in depicting that point of view. Finally, the arial shots of of the North Eastern province were amazing!

If you are looking to watch a Rambo shoot-em up Hollywood green screen garbage, then this show is not for you. This is raw filming with great cinematography that in my opinion falls along the lines of other raw tv shows like Band of Brothers, or The Shield where the show is not trying to be cool, but depicts the rawness of the immediate situation.

I wish they would make more seasons out of this. Kudos to the producers and the actors of the show.

The film was a good binge watch as it had it all,a captivating story and 10/10 cinematography. The only downside was the music,however I am led to believe that it is difficult to license good kenyan music for the film.

I also enjoyed how the film portrayed the Kenyan military scene although I must admit it was very dramatic but that is to be expected. The characters had a good touch to their humanity as average kenyan citizens, with each going through their own individual struggles.

The film intro should also deserve its own award,especially because of how catchy and visually different it is.

Otherwise this show is a gem among the garbage that's being aired around,and I would love to see an extended version,where all the cut scenes will be there.

Mpakani tries to string a story together over its lengthy runtime but fails at every turn. Character development is non-existent. The plot, while promising, falls flat on its face thanks to stiff actors who go through every line as though they're being held at gunpoint.

I was looking for positives throughout my binge watch, but could only find very few and they were very far in between.

Ultimately the effort can be applauded, especially given what a massive risk Netflix took on a country that frankly isn't known for its film prowess. But what was delivered at the end of the day was lazy writing, stiff acting and an illogical portrayal of what being in the military is like.