Blood and Oil

Another classic tale of made-for-White-audience movie. First of all, Writers and producers needs to get more insight knowledge about the country before they can make such a movie.

Good story, wonderful cast but there's too much focus on poverty, I guess this is what you find in all movies and documentaries made about Africa. What foreign oil company PR/Executives rides around town on bikes and canoes anyway? What about 1970s Jeep been driven around if they make billions of Dollars everyday? Extras acting like a robot as if they scared to speak? Do you know how many educated and wonderful actors and actresses in Nigeria who could play those roles better? Oil company and police almost ran people over on the street? There are many scenes that could have been done better? This is what they want the world to see about Africa.

Though, it portrays the corruption and government conspiracy, no doubt but why is there no response from the Government? Is Tunde Tayo the spokesperson for the government? That is totally ridiculous? Since when does Russian mafia started "oil bunkering"? NO! It is the British and Americans oil companies corrupting the nation and stealing billions barrels of oil from the Nigeria everyday to enrich their own country. Next time BBC wants to make another stupid documentary, get the facts, expose the truth behind the non-ending corruption and chaos their government is profiting from.

Where is the point of closure? Does the writer forgot the major parts in writing a story? Totally incomplete movie or documentary or whatever BBC calls it.

Really have enjoyed this two part series. Enough time given to develop the characters, actors are believable. I am not familiar with Nigeria, but the story line kept me hooked. I realize that the story line follows what is happening in that part of the world and it is frightening. I wish BBC would male a CD available for purchase in the United States. I would recommend this, specially if you like movies that take place in Africa, don't mind violence, because there is a great deal of violence in the series, although the violence is part of the story. Actors include David Oyelowo, of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Naoomi Harris, Jodhi May and Paterson Joseph, also from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The story line follows the kidnapping and what follows.

I don't normally write reviews of a BBC television dramas unless I feel particularly provoked one way or the other. Unfortunately it was because of my in-credulousness of how poor this program was. I actually found it hard to watch and certainly impossible to take seriously. The plot centres around a PR woman travelling to Nigeria to work for an oil company who's employees are regularly kidnapped or worse. Perhaps this could have been an interesting scenario. It wasn't.

Everyone is a caricature. In the opening scene the oil workers storm through a village in their Land Rovers knocking over people's property on the way- like cartoon villains. I was watching this scene with a guy who's worked for many years for a blue chip company in Nigeria who scoffed loudly at this. No foreign company acts in this disrespectful, provocative way.

Linking into this is the acting- it was atrocious- like watching actors who speak their lines like extras in a school play- seriously it was that unnatural. The kidnapped oil worker's wife spends her entire screen time crying at full volume and generally acting pathetically. Whilst our PR heroine gives almost a smug performance- acting incredibly inappropriately in certain scenes. For example instead of comforting the , albeit OTT-ly, distraught wife- she casually remarks along the lines of 'kinapping happens all the time here, don't worry' and then proceeds to sip a cocktail by the pool and make pleasantries with the hotel manager. The whole thing seemed staggeringly unnatural as did many other scenes- including the actor who plays 'Johnson' from Peep Show sporting a ridiculous American accent which was almost as funny as the, intentionally hilarious, boss he plays in Peep Show.

The disappointing thing is that there was clearly a big budget for this. But how any of this- the script, acting and direction could have been green lighted is a mystery. In a nutshell- if you want to look at Africa through the lens of a shallow soap opera production then this will be your thing. For a well acted and directed conspiracy drama set in the continent check out 'The Constant Gardner' instead.

An outstanding television drama charting the search for answers to suspicious events which befall an Englishman employed in the oil business in Nigeria.

Tremendous acting draws the viewer in as the horrors committed in pursuit of wealth dawn on both the distraught wife of the Englishman and the sassy PR representative of the oil company whose father is a rich Nigerian. They both face moral dilemmas which exemplify the complexity of the situation they find themselves in. And watching them respond is powerful stuff.

The revelations of the deep-seated corruption blighting Nigerian politics and business are counter-balanced by ground roots attempts to bring a share of the wealth to the poverty-stricken indigenous peoples of a country being plundered of its oil.

Shot in South Africa, the representation of dangerous hinterland in Rivers State where militant gangs hide out and the secure comfort of the hotels in Port Harcourt serving multinational firms related to the petroleum industry, rang true.

I found this a mentally stimulating story which had me researching for fact amid the fiction. And on first investigation it appears 'bang on the money'.

As someone who grew up in Nigeria, I find it intriguing to hear some of the negative reviews of this movie. I can only assume that the reviewers know nothing about the country and its people. This was a very realistic portrayal of the country, the dramatic way that emotions are displayed, the seemingly chaotic lifestyle, and the nature of the oil business in Nigeria. I will definitely recommend anyone who wants to get an objective assessment of life in Nigeria. It gives you a good, albeit brief glimpse into other aspects of living in Nigeria which includes not just the poorest but also some middle class workers. It is a great movie. Highly recommended.