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IMDbPro

Beasts of No Nation

  • 20152015
  • TV-MATV-MA
  • 2h 17m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
83K
YOUR RATING
Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.
Play trailer2:14
4 Videos
92 Photos
DramaWar
A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
83K
YOUR RATING
    • Cary Joji Fukunaga
    • Cary Joji Fukunaga(written for the screen by)
    • Uzodinma Iweala(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Abraham Attah
    • Emmanuel Affadzi
    • Ricky Adelayitor
    • Cary Joji Fukunaga
    • Cary Joji Fukunaga(written for the screen by)
    • Uzodinma Iweala(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Abraham Attah
    • Emmanuel Affadzi
    • Ricky Adelayitor
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 210User reviews
    • 201Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award

    Videos4

    Main Trailer
    Trailer 2:14
    Watch Main Trailer
    Teaser
    Trailer 1:38
    Watch Teaser
    A Guide to the Style of Cary Joji Fukunaga
    Clip 1:40
    Watch A Guide to the Style of Cary Joji Fukunaga
    'Creed II' Cast: What if Your Life Had a Montage?
    Video 1:52
    Watch 'Creed II' Cast: What if Your Life Had a Montage?

    Photos92

    Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba and Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba and Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba and Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
    Idris Elba at an event for Beasts of No Nation (2015)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Abraham Attah
    Abraham Attah
    • Agu
    Emmanuel Affadzi
    • Dike
    Ricky Adelayitor
    • Village Constable
    Andrew Adote
    • Ecomod 2nd Lieutenant
    Vera Nyarkoah Antwi
    • Little Sister
    Ama K. Abebrese
    Ama K. Abebrese
    • Mother
    Kobina Amissah-Sam
    Kobina Amissah-Sam
    • Father
    Francis Weddey
    • Big Brother
    Fred Nii Amugi
    Fred Nii Amugi
    • Pastor
    • (as Fred Amugi)
    John Arthur
    John Arthur
    • Angry Bush Taxi Driver
    Grace Nortey
    • Old Witch Woman
    Emmary Brown
    • Grandfather
    Nataliah Andoh
    • BBC Host
    Matthew Mpoke Bigg
    • BBC Correspondent
    Nana Mensah
    • Young Girl
    Ernest Abbeyquaye
    • Paramount Chief
    • (as Ernest Abbequay)
    David Dontoh
    • Linguist
    Kwame Gadago
    • Village Man
      • Cary Joji Fukunaga
      • Cary Joji Fukunaga(written for the screen by)
      • Uzodinma Iweala(based on the novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cary Joji Fukunaga cast real former child soldiers and members of the various factions from the Sierra Leone and Liberian Civil War such the Liberian Armed Forces, the LURD, and the CDF as extras and consultants but they ran into difficulty getting everyone onto the set in Ghana because they were held up in the Ivory Coast as suspected mercenaries.
    • Goofs
      When Preacher confronts the Commandant to say that he is leaving, the Commandant calls him Two I-C, who died earlier in the story.

      This is not necessarily a goof. Two I-C is a rank (Second in Command), not a name. When the first Two I-C is killed, presumably on Commandant's orders, Commandant needs to delegate a new deputy leader and chooses Preacher. This is why Preacher's decision to leave carries such weight, and why he later opts to return to the bush.
    • Quotes

      Agu: I saw terrible things... and I did terrible things. So if I'm talking to you, it will make me sad and it will make you too sad. In this life... I just want to be happy in this life. If I'm telling this to you... you will think that... I am some sort of beast... or devil. I am all of these things... but I also having mother... father... brother and sister once. They loved me.

    • Connections
      Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Idris Elba/Tony Goldwyn/Pete Davidson (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      Illuminati
      Written by Michael Owusu Addo and Joseph Anthony Bulley

      Performed by Randy Aflakpui, Abdul Mumin Mutawaki, Emmanuel Osei

    User reviews210

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    To be remembered as one of the better war films of the decade.
    Originally known for his first two films Sin Nombre and Jane Eyre, Cary Fukunaga was put on the map for most by his audacious work on the first season of HBO's True Detective last year, unconventionally directing every episode. He got all-time worthy performances from Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey and boasted a palpable bleak mood from his photography, earning an Emmy for the episode "Who Goes There" with that captivating long take. He could do whatever he wanted after that, and so, tip toeing past comfortable studio gigs that may or may not have landed on his desk, he ventured out to the African jungles with Idris Elba for the most stressful shoot since Apocalypse Now. Catching malaria, filling in for an injured camera operator, and constantly rewriting the script due to the actors dropping out, the haphazard conditions shows on the film for better and for worse.

    Coppola's film is an apt point of comparison for the effect of Beasts of No Nation, as well as Platoon and The Thin Red Line. Battered by explosions and gunfire, you come out of the film wearing the same thousand yard stare as its characters. At that point, it's easy to forget the delights of the first ten minutes as Abraham Attah's Agu playfully hustles his living, selling shells of television sets with his friends. It's not a perfect life, but the energy is reminiscent of the less dangerous sections of City of God. It's only from that light that the darkness hits hardest and invests you in Agu's plight and losses. However, this is as rocky as the roller-coaster gets. The next 2 hours is an absorbing barrage of misery and brutal dilemmas. The narrative thread is very loose, and perhaps some is lost in translation with the character's thick accents, but this is part of its point, especially in utilising child soldiers who won't know the ins and outs of what's going on anyway.

    This aimlessness of the mission and the way that the war is so much bigger than the soldiers and battalions demonstrates that there is no way into peace from war. The kids are fighting for a future that they won't be able to find solace in, neither from eventual living and economical conditions, nor inner peace from the atrocities they've committed. These bleak ideas hit hard. And like Malick's The Thin Red Line, a relationship with God in war is challenged. It's questioned whether it's possible or fair to have spiritual happiness after such sins. There is very poor foresight in war, and after only briefly touching a jarring scene where they visit the higher ups, it benefits no-one on the battleground. The film never preaches these messages, instead relying on the fact that we know how heartbreakingly true it is despite how far removed most of us will be.

    Abraham Attah absolutely disappears into his role. He's not showy, but just completely immersed in the film whether he's soaking in events or lashing out against them. He's easily the biggest discovery here. However, I expected great things from Elba after the hype and while he is good, it wasn't the tour de force performance I anticipated. That's just not how the character ended up being written. He has memorable moments but he teeters undefinably on the line between a manipulative villain and a manipulative mentor. He's no doubt an opportunist, but the film doesn't explore his character to the full extent, and the most dramatic moments are quite familiar as they're staples in other war films. Beasts stands out by having such a young boy other end of those dilemmas. Elba is perhaps too polished to go with the inherent rawness of the rest of the cast.

    Fukunaga's cinematography is quite good, not boasting the same tricks as True Detective, but also clearly battling against the elements. It certainly has atmosphere. The style favours ambient music over montages of the war scenes and while that makes it flow together it also means that its surprises fall by the periphery. I can imagine that this will play well on Netflix, granted you give it full attention on a big HD television. The cinema projection does suffer from added graininess but that is rarely a problem via the internet and should compliment Fukunaga's cinematography a little more. I imagine that it will garner a divided reaction, with some finding it too hard to bare through the whole thing, but I can't imagine it getting much Oscar traction based on passion alone. It will be a pleasant and worthy surprise if it does score any nominations. At least an admirable effort that will be being remembered as one of the most notable war films of this decade.

    8/10

    Read more @ The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com/)
    helpful•83
    13
    • Sergeant_Tibbs
    • Oct 15, 2015

    FAQ5

    • What is the meaning of...
    • What are those white things that some of the men wear around their necks?
    • Which African conflict is 'Beasts of No Nation' based on?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 2015 (United States)
      • United States
      • Official site
      • English
      • Akan
    • Also known as
      • Ghana
    • Production companies
      • Red Crown Productions
      • The Princess Grace Foundation
      • Participant
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 17 minutes
      • Color

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