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Who Killed Captain Alex?

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Who Killed Captain Alex?
Promotional release poster
Directed byNabwana I.G.G.
Written byNabwana I.G.G.
Produced byNabwana I.G.G.
Alan Ssali Hofmanis
Starring
  • Kakule William
  • Sseruyna Ernest
  • Bukenya Charlse
  • Nakyambadde Prossy
Narrated byVJ Emmie
CinematographyNabwana I.G.G.
Edited byNabwana I.G.G.
Music byKizito Vicent
Production
company
Distributed byWakaliwood
Release date
  • 1 March 2010 (2010-03-01)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUganda
LanguagesLuganda
English
Budget$85

Who Killed Captain Alex? is a 2010 Ugandan action comedy film written, produced, and directed by Nabwana Isaac Geoffrey Godfrey (IGG), by Wakaliwood, an ultra low-budget studio in Kampala, Uganda.[1] The film gained viral notoriety for being a no-budget action film, produced on a reported budget of under $200[2][3][4] although producer Alan Hofmanis later stated that the production value was in fact $85.[5] A trailer for the film was uploaded to YouTube in January 2010 and the full film was uploaded in March 2015, and has been viewed over 9.8 million times as of 18 October 2024.[3] The original version of the film was lost due to power outages and "strained conditions" according to Nabwana, while the surviving version of Who Killed Captain Alex? released online includes commentary from the first[6] English-speaking "Video Joker" that includes running gags about the characters.[2][7]

The film tells the story of a civil unrest which erupts after the assassination of a beloved Ugandan soldier and Kung Fu expert, the eponymous Captain Alex. Who Killed Captain Alex? was generally well received by critics and audiences alike, who saw it as an endearing "so bad it's good" experience, despite its technical limitations.

Plot

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Captain Alex, one of the most decorated officers in the Uganda People's Defence Force, is sent out to capture the crime boss Richard and his Tiger Mafia, a criminal organization that controls the drug trade of the city of Kampala. Alex sets up camp in the village of Wakaliga. After doing so, his soldiers go to a bar where a fight ensues between them and the villagers. Alex breaks it up and takes them out of the bar.

Alex and his soldiers locate the Tiger Mafia during a drug deal and infiltrate it. In the following fight, Richard's brother is captured. Richard berates his men, shoots his wife Ritah in his fit of rage, and then swears revenge against Alex. He orders a spy to seduce Alex in his tent and sends the mafia to capture him later that night. However, Alex is killed by an unknown source, leaving the mafia and his soldiers in disarray.

Captain Alex's brother, a Ugandan shaolin monk comedically dubbed 'Bruce U'[note 1] by VJ Emmie, arrives at Kampala the next morning in search of the murderer and finds a Tiger Mafia card in Alex's tent. Elsewhere, the mafia tells Richard that Alex is dead; Richard becomes irate because he wanted Alex brought to him. Bruce goes to a shaolin temple where he fights the other martial artists until the master appears. Bruce asks the master for help on his quest for vengeance, but the latter declines.

Bruce goes to the forest to train for his quest on his own. After sleeping in a tree, he discovers Ritah, who has amnesia after being shot by her husband. Bruce, unaware that she was part of the Tiger Mafia, comes to her aid. After training in a nearby lake, he discovers that Ritah was a member of the mafia due to a tattoo with the mafia's initials. Ritah regains her memory and agrees to take Bruce to the Tiger Mafia base.

The UPDF hires a new military leader who formulates a plan to attack the mafia's base. However, his plan is overheard by Richard through the phone of a turncoat police officer. Richard gathers the mafia at the base to prepare and sends one of his men to steal an attack helicopter to bomb Kampala to serve as a distraction for the government. Bruce invades the mafia's base, but is captured and brought to Richard, who orders three of his men to fight him with combat skills. Bruce holds his own for some time but is eventually overwhelmed. The military bombs the base with a helicopter, forcing the mafia into a forest where they fight the UPDF.

After the chaotic fighting, the entire mafia is dead and only Richard remains. He strips the gun off one of his deceased men, kills a number of soldiers, and takes down the military helicopter but is eventually shot and captured. The Ugandan government places Kampala under martial law, and Alex's killer is never identified.

Cast

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  • Kakule William as Captain Alex: Uganda's best soldier, tasked with destroying the Tiger Mafia.
  • Sseruyna Ernest as Richard: Leader of the Tiger Mafia.
  • Bukenya Charles as Bruce U: Captain Alex's brother and shaolin martial artist.
  • Nakyambadde Prossy as Ritah: One of Richard's many wives.
  • G. Puffs as Puffs: Richard's Russian subordinate.
  • Faizat Muhammed as Natasha
  • Kaggwa Bonny as Minister
  • Babirye Ssekweyama as Vicky
  • Bisaso Dauda as Rocky
  • Musisi David as Tom
  • Ssebanja Ivan as the Master
  • VJ Emmie as the voice of the Video Joker

Production

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Production began in late 2009 in the ghettos of Nateete. Nabwana was inspired to create the film by his love of Hollywood action movies and martial arts films from his childhood.[8][9] The helicopter scenes in the film were based upon his experiences during the Ugandan Bush War where Nabwana and his brother were chased by a helicopter.[10][4]

Nabwana shot the film in January 2010 and edited it using a computer he assembled from old parts. The film's props were all made in-house and camera equipment were fabricated from scrap metal at a machine shop next to Nabwana's house. The actors supplied their own costumes; one of them was given a mask so he could play two different roles in the same scene. Squibs used to simulate gunshot wounds were made from condoms filled with red food coloring and tied to fishing lines before being taped to the actors' chests; Nabwana previously used cow blood, but was forced to discontinue it after one of his actors developed brucellosis.[8][9][4] Nabwama also included footage of sewage to make the film, this was done in order to show how "People like their life to be put on DVD"[11]

Nabwana has described his motivation to make the movie as a desire to change the perception that cinema is only for the rich in his home country of Uganda and make his own films[12][13]

The original version of the film was intended for local distribution in Kampala, with the dialogue recorded in the native language of Luganda. After the Luganda trailer for the film went viral on YouTube, Nabwana reappropriated the local video joker practice for a Western audience and hired VJ Emmie to provide commentary on the film in English.[14]

Throughout the film, a panpipes cover of the Seal song "Kiss from a Rose", as well as a piano cover of the ABBA song "Mamma Mia", can be heard.[2] The "Kiss from a Rose" cover has been described as one of the best versions of the song by Screenrant.[15]

Release and reception

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Who Killed Captain Alex? sold over 10,000 copies in DVD sales in Uganda, and pirated copies of the film have sold an estimated 10 times that amount.[9]

The official trailer of the film uploaded to YouTube on 30 January 2010 quickly developed a cult following. As of 12 October 2024, it has over 4 million views.[16] The film itself was uploaded on Wakaliwood's YouTube channel. As of 12 October 2024, it has over 9.7 million views.[17]

The film was released alongside Bad Black in the Wakaliwood Supa Action Vol. 1 Blu-ray/DVD combo by the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) on 14 May 2019. The Blu-ray release features the option to watch Who Killed Captain Alex? with or without the VJ Emmie narration, plus subtitles in 11 languages, and welcome videos by Nabwana IGG for 14 countries.[18]

Who Killed Captain Alex? was generally received well by critics and audiences alike, who saw it as an endearing "so bad it's good" experience, despite its technical limitations.[19] BBC referred to Nabawana as the "Ugandan Tarantino" after the film's release.[11] The film retains high popularity among youth in Uganda.[11]

The film is also credited with inspiring the Ugandan Knuckles online meme in early 2018.[15]

Sequel

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Nabwana IGG completed work on the 2010 sequel Tebaatusasula (Luganda: "Those Who Were Screwed Over") when a massive power surge in Wakaliga destroyed the hard drive that contained the film footage, resulting in it becoming a lost film.[20]

On 2 March 2015, Wakaliwood set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise US$160 for the film Tebaatusasula: Ebola. The studio was able to receive US$13,181 from 374 backers by 1 April. Tebaatusasula: Ebola serves as the direct sequel to Who Killed Captain Alex? and a remake of the lost Tebaatusasula film.[20]

On 1 August 2022, Nabwana IGG's Twitter announced that a sequel was in production and that shooting was currently in progress.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ An allusion to Bruce Lee

References

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  1. ^ Feldman, Jason (28 July 2010). "Who Killed Captain Alex". INFOtainment!. WordPress. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Patterson, Adam (16 July 2015). "Fantasia 2015: Watch the Trailer for Uganda's First Action Film WHO KILLED CAPTAIN ALEX | Film Pulse". Film Pulse. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b Anyangwe, Eliza (26 October 2015). "Uganda's Tarantino makes $200 action movies". CNN. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Noy, Frédéric (13 July 2018). "Inside Wakaliwood: Kampala's action movie studio". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  5. ^ "ALAN HOFMANIS INTERVIEW – What Up, Son?! LIVE @ 9:30 pm CST". Double Toasted. 8 July 2019.
  6. ^ "FANTASIA REVIEW: Who Killed Captain Alex? is a crazy experience | FringeBlog". thelinknewspaper.ca. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. ^ Park, Gene (28 September 2016). "How a Ugandan director is making great action movies on $200 budgets". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  8. ^ a b "The New Wave of Ultra-Violent Ugandan DIY Action Cinema". Vice. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  9. ^ a b c McPheeters, Sam (3 March 2015). "A Ugandan Filmmaker's Quest to Conquer the Planet with Low-Budget Action Movies". Vice. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  10. ^ "'Helicopter' Excerpt, Director's Commentary – Who Killed Captain Alex". 10 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2017 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ a b c "Uganda's Tarantino and his $200 action movies". BBC News. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Movie Review: Once Upon a Time in Uganda". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Isaac Nabwana: 'We should tell our own stories in the way we want'". Little White Lies. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  14. ^ ""UGANDA: WHO KILLED CAPTAIN ALEX? (2010)" In Praise of VJ Emmie". 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  15. ^ a b Sarmiento, Rafael (17 February 2020). "Who Killed Captain Alex?: 10 Reasons To Watch It". ScreenRant. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  16. ^ "WHO KILLED CAPTAIN ALEX Original Trailer – Wakaliwood, Uganda – Ramon Film Productions". Official Wakaliwood. 30 January 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2018 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ "Who Killed Captain Alex: Uganda's First Action Movie (English Subtitles & Video Joker) – Wakaliwood". Official Wakaliwood. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ "Wakaliwood Supa Action Volume 1: Who Killed Captain Alex? + Bad Black Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  19. ^ Juddell, Brandon (3 August 2015). "'Who Killed Captain Alex?': The Best Worst Film of 2010, Uganda-Style". HuffPost. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  20. ^ a b "Help Build a Ugandan Action Movie Studio". Wakaliwood via Kickstarter. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  21. ^ "A Sequel of Who Killed Captain Alex is About to Begin". Nabwana IGG via Twitter. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
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