In the pidgin English of colonial Kenya a 'toto' is a native house servant, who in this modest but sobering drama is an innocent Kikuyu boy involved more or less against his will in the bloody Mau-Mau rebellions of the early 1950s. To its credit the story is told largely from the young toto's point of view, suggesting the uncertainty of a servant caught between his duty to an equitable master (the local white police chief) and a deeper loyalty to his own tribe (even though it was a fellow Kikuyu who murdered his Christian father).
But like its young hero the film itself is often inscrutable, and sometimes dispassionate to the point of ambiguity, in particular concerning the relationship between the toto Mwangi and the policeman's creepy young son. The feature film debut for writer director Harry Hook is an honest if somewhat restrained effort, the final success of which is hampered by its limited means. This was one of the Cannon Film Company's rare prestige projects, but the entire budget was probably less than Chuck Bronson's catering bill for their 'Death Wish IV', released the same year.
But like its young hero the film itself is often inscrutable, and sometimes dispassionate to the point of ambiguity, in particular concerning the relationship between the toto Mwangi and the policeman's creepy young son. The feature film debut for writer director Harry Hook is an honest if somewhat restrained effort, the final success of which is hampered by its limited means. This was one of the Cannon Film Company's rare prestige projects, but the entire budget was probably less than Chuck Bronson's catering bill for their 'Death Wish IV', released the same year.