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Film Review
Tinashe Kusema
I AM a simple man.
In terms of sport, LeBron James is my greatest of all time.
I usually spend my free time watching a movie, bingeing on my favourite television shows or catching up on the latest goings-on in professional wrestling (WWE).
However, one thing that drives me insane is when Hollywood actors make a poor attempt at the African accent.
It is one of the reasons I did not enjoy the “Black Panther” movies. Despite AMC Entertainment’s new crime drama series “Parish” having such a shortcoming, the show is still great.
It butchers not just the African accent but also the Shona language, yet the series remains quite an enjoyable watch.
The show comprises six episodes, with the finale expected to air and be loaded online today.
“Parish” stars Giancarlo Esposito as Gray Parish, a former wheelman who gets dragged back into a life of crime after an old associate Colin (Skeet Ulrich) resurfaces and asks him for a favour. Unfortunately, the said favour sees Parish go deeper and deeper into a life of crime and ends up at the mercy of a Zimbabwean family of human traffickers — the Tongai family.
The series opens with Parish in a high-speed chase with the police across the streets of New Orleans with a mysterious cargo in his car.
Through flashback, we go back a week earlier and learn a little more about this character (Parish).
Apparently, Parish, as well as his family, are grieving the loss of his son, who died after a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting hit him.
He is also in dire straits, as his car business is failing and he could lose his house.
Colin, a close friend of the main character, arrives after his deal went south and now he has to find a replacement driver to use in a heist.
Parish reluctantly agrees and the two steal a bag of passports and hand them over to the Tongai family, headed by Hoarse (Zachary Momoh).
The heist goes rather smoothly but Hoarse develops a liking for Parish and continues to come back asking for more favours and tasks.
The two even bond when a rival gang attempts to kill Hoarse and his son, and only fails due to Parish’s excellent driving skills, quick thinking and connections.
The five episodes that have aired spend the bulk of the time showing how Parish attempts to loosen the hold the Tongai family has on him and return to his simple life.
The pacing of the show is kind of a car chase as the action comes thick and fast from the opening scene to the penultimate episode.
There are numerous twists and turns as we learn more about Parish’s former life as a criminal, the dynamics of the Tongai family and their business, and, most importantly, the death of Parish’s son. It goes without saying that Esposito single-handedly carries this show and his relationship with Hoarse is one of the best things.
The two have great chemistry and Momoh holds his own against the great Esposito.
Also, Bonnie Mbuli and Ivan Mbakop do a very good job as Tongai’s other two siblings, Shamiso and Zenzo.
I do not intend to mention the atrocious Shona accents for I believe I have made clear where I stand on the subject on numerous occasions. It is a pleasant surprise though that the said accents do not prevent one from enjoying the show.
Online Reporter