Stream It or Skip It?

In Hijack ‘93, director Robert O. Peters’ dramatization of a true story, four young Nigerian men who have been radicalized by a mysterious leader overtake a commercial flight by force…and then? As tension builds on the aircraft, and what feels like an already hasty plan starts to unwind in unexpected directions, the hijackers are forced to confront the consequences of their actions, as well as their own internal conflicts. Written by Musa Jeffery David, Hijack ‘93 stars Nancy Isime, Adam Garba, Allison Emmanuel, Nnamdi Agbo, Sharon Ooja, and Bob-Manuel Udokwu.  

HIJACK ’93: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? 

The Gist: Hijack ‘93 is based on the true story of a commercial Nigerian Airways flight from Lagos to Abuja in October 1993 that transformed into a protracted standoff once its interlopers forced the plane to land in neighboring Niger. Their demand that the crew fly them to Frankfurt, Germany was always going to require a refueling. But once on the ground, the situation devolved into days of stunted negotiations and increasing confusion, as the men made wild demands that Nigeria’s military rulers step down.

When we first meet Omar (Agbo), Dayo (Akinsola Oluwaseyi), Ben (Emmanuel), and Kayode (Garba), they are being volunteered for a mission by a mysterious, unnamed teacher. “Are you ready to fight?” he shouts to his converts. “Are you ready to give your life for change?” Each of them have personal reasons for their radicalization. But they all agree that the inequities of the military-backed Nigerian government must end. And so they board the Nigerian Airways flight separately and lie in wait among the passengers, with another accomplice already having placed pistols and gasoline aboard the aircraft. That’s right, gas. When Ben starts to toss it all through the cabin, even his comrades start to worry that he’s taking this too far. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, there is a bomb on this plane!” It’s not a spoiler to say there is no actual bomb. Instead, it’s the hijackers themselves who become increasingly unstable. As the flight crew (a group including Ooja, India Aisien, Efa Iwara, and John Dumelo) attempts to keep everyone calm, the flight’s grounding in Niger only exacerbates the situation. It’s a French-speaking country, its own military leaders aren’t willing to negotiate, and the arrival of a take-charge special forces officer from Nigeria only adds another arguing voice to the proceedings. Oh, and did we mention the passenger who goes into labor, the VIP son of the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria who’s also on board, and the fact that the hijackers didn’t really have a plan beyond the roots of their perceived righteous cause and the assumption that they’d ultimately make it to Frankfurt?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of? Hijack ‘93 screenwriter Musa Jeffrey David also penned Blood Vessel, which moves its thriller energy from an airplane to a boat.  

Performance Worth Watching: Nancy Isime (Shanty Town, Blood Sisters) is a standout in Hijack ‘93 as Iyabo, a young woman who begins the flight as a regular passenger before she gets pushed directly into the heart of the hijackers’ plot as their reluctant translator. 

Memorable Dialogue: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is not your captain speaking. We are the Movement for the Advancement of Democracy, and this aircraft is under our control. We demand an end to an oppressive regime that has stolen the collective wealth of many just for the gain of a few. We give the Nigerian government 72 hours to reinstate our democratically elected president.” 

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: Not to diminish a dangerous situation, but we’ve all seen enough hijacking movies to easily feel out the parameters of Hijack ‘93. As the twentysomethings tasked with this dangerous and seemingly under-planned mission sit sweating in their assigned coach seats, giving each other the nod, we know that despite their weapons and lots of yelling, their takeover of the aircraft will not be a precision operation. In fact, the real-life hijackers of the Nigerian Airways flight were only teenagers. 

Still, as hotheaded Ben and soulful weak link Kayode, Allison Emmanuel and Adam Garba are very watchable hijackers. While Hijack ‘93 doesn’t do a great job of establishing the intentions of their group, that begins to work in the film’s favor as dissent among the team grows and they themselves begin to question whether any of this will right the political wrongs that originally inspired them. “It will take evil to defeat a greater evil,” Kayode tells Iyabo, who has become the hijackers’ French-speaking liaison to the Niger officials outside. He sounds like he’s spouting lines directly from his leader’s manifesto, and she recognizes the growing desperation in his voice. “What other lies have they sold you?”  

Our Call: Hijack ‘93 builds a satisfying amount of tension that admittedly it has a little trouble sustaining, as the hostage situation drags out across a period of days. But there are a handful of performances at the film’s center that kept us in it. As the would-be patriots find what plans they had unraveling, the only question left is who will make it out of this alive. STREAM IT.  

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.