Son of the Soil (2025) Review
Son of the Soil (2025) Review
Get in deep with Son of the Soil – which is being marketed as an explosive new adrenaline-fuelled and emotionally charged ‘bone-crunching Lagos revenge thriller with bruising swagger’ (The Guardian) from acclaimed British Chinese director Chee Keong Cheung (Redcon-1, Underground) and Action Xtreme – the UK’s first major action studio. Lauded as ‘Nollywood’s most ambitious action film yet’ by Nollywire, the film makes its UK digital debut on 13 July, courtesy of Trinity Content Partners, following its acclaimed theatrical release.
Reminiscent of gritty genre favourites, John Wick, The Equalizer and Taken, the multi-award-winning actioner sees writer and star Razaaq Adoti return to his Nigerian roots in a gritty and powerful lead performance, that sees him pull no punches, as a former special ops paratrooper intent on revenge and redemption.
We’re thrown headlong into the mean streets of Lagos, ruled with an iron first by Dr Baptiste (Asaya), a ruthless kingpin who lives above the law, while his foot soldiers peddle his highly addictive and fatal synthetic fentanyl concoction, ‘Matrix’, bringing with it dependency, death and devastation all-around. When a young woman investigating the doctor’s drug syndicate is brutally murdered, her brother, Zion (Adoti), returns to seek justice and wreak revenge.
Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Zion is a man adrift, disconnected from his homeland, his purpose, and himself. As he delves deeper into Lagos’ ruthless gangland, his anger increases and old instincts reignite…
With the focus of a soldier and fury of a mourning brother, he takes on a system riddled with corruption and violence. As the body count rises, the stakes grow higher, and Zion must turn to a former brother in arms – turned street soldier – to help him rally an army to confront not only the monsters who killed his sister, but those who continue to poison his community.
Channelling personal grief, cultural pride, and diasporic identity, Son of the Soil sows an explosive and powerful story of vengeance and salvation into a Hollywood-grade action thriller with authentic African soul.
While this revenge thriller delivers plenty of action and sustains a high level of tension throughout, it offers little in the way of originality. At its core is a familiar protagonist haunted by his past, navigating a world of police corruption while repeatedly having to justify his motives to an assortment of largely stereotypical supporting characters. It’s a narrative that feels well-worn and predictable.
Fortunately, the film’s relentless pacing, visceral intensity, and kinetic, in-your-face camerawork inject enough energy to keep audiences engaged. The action is uncompromisingly brutal and visually striking, frequently evoking the gritty, hard-hitting action cinema of the 1980s.
However, despite its technical strengths and commitment to delivering uncompromising thrills, the screenplay never rises above the conventions of the genre. Beneath the impressive action and sustained suspense lies a story that is ultimately too familiar to distinguish itself from the many revenge thrillers that have come before it.
Son of the Soil is on UK digital 13 July from Trinity Content Partners
Trailer
