Kemi Adetiba Is Back! But Did To Kill A Monkey Deliver? [Full Review]

After the release of the critically acclaimed movie King of Boys in 2018 and it's miniseries sequel King of Boys: The Return of the King having six episodes, Kemi Adetiba, the brain director behind those movies and others like The Wedding Party and series of music videos went on a hiatus and returned in 2025 with an eight episode series titled To Kill A Monkey which aired on Netflix on Friday the 18th of July, 2025.

While she's the director of the series, Kemi Adetiba also wrote and produced it with co-production credit to her brother Remi Adetiba, and Oscar Heman-Ackah her husband.

The star studded movie saw the likes of Bucci Franklin, William Benson, Stella Damasus, Bimbo Akintola, Teniola Aladese, Chidi Mokeme, Ireti Doyle, Sunshine Rosman, Daniel Etim Effiong, and Lilian Afegbai taking on central and major roles in the six hours long series.

How desperate can one become to make money? Is anyway the way? Is there an excuse to bowing to pressure and engaging in cybercrime a.k.a yahoo yahoo or 419? These are some of the questions the series give answers to in an engaging and hooking storyline.

The story revolves around Efemini who represents the average Nigerian graduate, out of school, certificate in hand but nothing to show for it - big ideas but no means of implementation because he lacks the resources. To sustain a living, he works in a local restaurant earning a measly forty two thousand naira monthly.

To top his problems, his wife who's pregnant is expecting the delivery of triplets through emergency surgery of two hundred and fifty thousand naira with his mother in law breathing down his throat, his mother who was terribly sick has died and he needs money to give her a "befitting burial".

Where is he going to get all these money to sort these bills? From his forty two thousand naira? He's already owing the restaurant he works over six months salary totalling two hundred and eighty thousand naira. All he was at that moment is a laughing stock and a disaster to anyone close to him. Rock bottom would actually be a step up for him.

But then, how fortunate is it for life to smile at him when he reconnets with Oboz, a student from the school he once attended and ran a cyber cafe business in that same restaurant. Same Oboz he saved his life is now a big boy, spending lavishly and living the life that will make you question life and ask God if you're a spoon or if you don't matter in the grand scheme of things. After that encounter, it seems light was finally shining in the direction of Efe.

But quickly and in a series of event, we'll quickly revert back to the popular phrase "not all that glitters are gold".

While Oboz was willing to help Efe, he didn't hide the truth about his businesses so it won't be as if he was lured or deceived to get involved but how long will Efe be able to keep up, balance this new life with family, and how it's going to play out in the long run? Here's where we're supposed to give a few spoilers but what good will that do?

With the calibre of cast for this movie, one would expect each of them to handle their roles to the core and just like Gen Z will say, each actor whether in a major or minor role ate their roles leaving no crumbs. Each of the cast took the characters and gave life to them in such a way that you can feel the emotion and life of that character regardless of the fact that it was just acting.

While Bucci Franklin has been on the scene for a very long time in Nollywood, his role as Oboz shines the light on him a much greater perspective and will prompt viewers to see his talent in new light. William Benson who played the role of Efemini is another great figure who hasn't been given much attention but his character in this series will be driving much focus and attention not just to his craft but his person as well.

Stella Damasus, Bimbo Akintola, Ireti Doyle who we can refer to as Nollywood sweethearts did put on an interesting aspect of their selves out on this project.

While all casts did a great job, Lilian Afegbai needs to be applauded for her role as Idia (Oboz's wife). She perfectly slayed the role of the average Benin girl married to a popping yahoo boy and she brought out the real pablet into play. She nails the "pablet" a term for girls dating or married to fraudsters (pablos), known for their wild fashion sense and heavily-accented English. Idia isn’t just a stereotype; she’s a fully-formed character with nuance and energy.

Talking about the story and character development, this is one movie in a long time that took its time to give a proper story of each cast, how they relate, and how they mattered to each other. No character or plot was dropped suddenly on viewers, each was properly built up and connected to the next to form the whole story.

If you're a great fan of fast forwarding movies, you'd definitely need to slow down on this one because every conversation and scene matters to the next one.

On the technical side, it’s clear the production team paid attention. The cinematography, camera work, lighting, set design, and tone were on point. It was well thought out, immersive, and beautifully shot. Costume designers Ikechukwu Urum and John Joseph Angel also deserve their flowers. From Ivie’s chaotic outfits to Amanda Sparkle’s "luxury baddie" vibe and Inspector Mo’s classic recovering and semi crazy look, they nailed it. The only slip was Efe’s prison jumpsuit and shoes, that outfit didn’t match Nigerian prison reality. But then, nothing is 100%.

Just like her previous movies, the visuals are not only striking and beautiful but carefully crafted to linger for long in your memory.

The sound design and original score (composed by Oscar Heman-Ackah) elevated the entire experience. His collaborations with the likes of Jacob Hunter have always been strong, and this one continues that streak. Every scene had a musical backdrop that enhanced the mood rather than distract from it.

To give a little side story, in January 2024, Oscar released the teaser to his upcoming movie Finding Messiah and aside the act which got people so pumped in anticipation, the music which was composed by Oscar and performed by Jacob Hunter was another driving force and their combination has always been proven to be very effective in sound composition and performances for movies.

While it's just entertainment, Kemi Adetiba did use this project to pinpoint on several societal issues, stigma, and if you're a careful observer, you'll be able to pick up some lessons for your daily living. Some of the themes and messages include the following.

Cybercrime, yahoo yahoo, 419, or however you paint it is just criminal activity and there's nothing glorious in it to want to venture into. While it's true that desperate times call for desperate measures, it can also lead to a fatal end.

At all fronts, Nigerians has been painted to be fraudsters by the international communities as a result of the activities of those who carry out these atrocities but using the character of inspector Mo, a message was subtly passed that while there are fraudulent Nigerians, it doesn't make all Nigerians fraudsters. Same also apply to our security agencies - inspector Onome being a bad egg in the force will likely dent the image of the force to the public and international communities but with the likes of Mo, the stigma is being corrected.

On personal notes, there's a subtle message from Amanda to Efe about self care, sometimes, we care so much for others that we neglect ourselves and in the very end, those we sacrifice for can walk away without any sense of appreciation for the sacrifices you've made for them.

Another message that was highlighted by Efe was never letting your stomach make you loose sight of the bigger picture. Efe was broke, hungry, beaten, and battered, but at the table of Oboz, he rejected the salary structure and negotiated to become partners instead of receiving crumbs.

Kemi also passed the message of giving value wherever you find yourself through the relationship between Oboz and Ozegbe, how it later strained when Efe got into the picture and brought in value to Oboz than Ozegbe.

There are a lot more lessons, themes, and messages encoded in this series but the bigger one of all is CRIME DOESN'T PAY, it may look as if it's paying at the moment but the end is almost always disastrous and there's no tasting waters with crime. Efe got into the game to setup his family but sooner or later got lost into it.

All that said, the show isn’t without its flaws. One major question mark is Inspector Mo’s lack of recordings during key conversations (conversation with Efe or Mrs Ejiofor) a strange omission for someone painted as sharp and calculated. The scene of her visit to the cell can be explained as to how she lost the footage but having important conversations and not thinking of having a discrete recording raises a slight credibility issue in the writing. But this doesn’t undo the strength of the overall plot.

Finally, while this may seem like a minor point, it’s actually worth noting. It's refreshing to see Nollywood slowly shifting away from being overly Western-Nigerian focused. This series, while set in modern day Lagos, draws its characters, names, and backstories heavily from Edo and Delta States and that’s a significant, welcome development. Representation matters, and this kind of cultural spread gives the Nigerian film industry more texture, more stories, and a broader reach.

Somehow, I feel Kemi Adetiba does not get enough hype and credit for her jobs as she ought to. To Kill A Monkey is a great project that deserves massive PR and buzz but somehow, it's not getting enough of it. Probably I'm judging too early or by previous projects which weren't hyped enough and hopefully soon this get the needed attention it deserves.

Personally, it takes a lot for a movie to get me off my daily schedule and concentrate, there are lot of trending movies I'm yet to see but somehow, Kemi Adetiba kept me up for six hours, avoided going online just because I need to see the end of this and honestly speaking, it is worth every moment and I'll definitely recommend that you see it if you haven't.

Overall Rating: 9/10

With the way the episode 8 ended, can we say it's all over or something can be done for a season two to happen? SPOILER ALERT!

Efe got shot while in trial by Ozigi as his proof of loyalty to madam Idia, what if Efe was rushed to the hospital, he didn't die, sentence to jail alongside Ozigi and they start up a different cartel (with Idia's backing) or even rival cartel?

Teacher is out of the picture but they both get released and Efe go on revenge against his wife Nosa, Dr Ifeanyi, Amanda, Ivie, Idia, and every other name he can think of while building a brutal empire that will still be dismantled by Mo?

Just overthinking, but this could be the end of the story.