High level entertainment during lockdown with Idris Elba

BY MKUU AMANI

On March 16^th, British actor and producer Idris Elba announced on social media that he’d tested positive for COVID-19.

The superstar who is known for the TV series Luther and films like Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, No Good Deed and Beasts of No Nation, now has no choice but to self-isolate. “This morning, I got some test results back for coronavirus, and it came back positive,” he told his Twitter followers. “Yeah, and it sucks.” He added: “I didn’t have any symptoms. I got tested because I realized I was exposed to someone who had also tested positive.”

 For someone as active as Idris has been over the past couple of decades, it must be tough staying in one place, even if his abode is as luxurious and as spacious as we’d expect. Thankfully though, his activities have not been restricted to just onscreen appearances. The talented actor has also shown himself to be a writer (Turn Up Charlie, 2019), producer (Idris Elba: Fighter, 2017) and director (Yardie, 2018).

With this in mind, it’s perhaps more likely than not that he’ll use the time to conceive yet another brilliant initiative with a view to it landing on our cinema or TV screens sometime in the years ahead. For inspiration, he may even take time to don his gown, pop some popcorn, layback and enjoy a few of his previous editions.

Likewise, if you’re in a lockdown or self-isolation situation, and are looking for some high-level entertainment to pass the time, nothing beats a good old Idris Elba movie. Here are three movies that I can recommend you watch.

The Take (2016)

Richard Madden plays Michael Mason, an adventurous pickpocket with low self-esteem and a day-to-day survival ethos. Idris Elba is Sean Briar, the bad-ass US Cop that doesn’t suffer fools gladly and is ready to dispense his brand of justice where necessary.

In Paris, a terrorist plot to bomb the French Nationalist Party HQ unravels when the planter, Charlotte Le Bon (Zoe), refuses to see it through for fear of actually causing fatalities.

The situation gets complex when Mason steals Zoe’s bag because what the brooding thief doesn’t know is that it contains a bomb.

The bag gets dumped, minus a saleable mobile phone, but as a result of the devastation caused by the inevitable bomb blast, Mason becomes a wanted man.

With a bag of turmoil on the streets of France, prepare yourself for corruption, action and more twists than a can of sauced spaghetti – things are about to get a lot worse before they get better.

Idris is on the case. And he’s angry. Let the mayhem begin.

Legacy – Black Ops (2010

Scarred both physically and mentally, Malcolm Gray (Idris Elba) is a Black Ops soldier absent without leave and holed up in a dingy motel room in Brooklyn.

Elba plays a man at odds with not just himself, but also with his former wife and former squad members as he tries to piece his life back together and find the peace that the memories from his service days won’t allow him.

Written and directed by Thomas Eromose Ikimi (Limbo, The Home Front) and with cinematography by Jonathan Harvey (Misfits, Far from the Maddening Crowd), Legacy – Black Ops is a gritty, edgy and somewhat gloomy affair turgid with shadow and squalor.

Elba’s portrayal of a character stranded at the edge of sanity, combined with the darkness, gloom and desperation pouring from the visuals makes this one a must-watch movie, especially for die-hard Elba fans.

The Losers (2010)

Turning a great comic book into a great movie takes some skill. Many have tried and many have failed. I won’t mention any titles this time around. Thankfully, courtesy of its entertaining script, some smooth editing, and some joyously larger than life characters brought to life by a great cast, what we have in The Losers is a colourful, charismatic cinematic bonanza.

In this film, Elba plays Roque, a member of a CIA Special Forces team that is betrayed and left for dead. Their aim is retribution, and to achieve this, they need to take on the CIA.

By Elba’s side are Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, Rampage) as Clay, Chris Evans (The Avengers, Captain America: The First Avenger) as Jensen, Columbus Short (Stomp The Yard, Whiteout) as Pooch, Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) as Aisha and Oscar Jaenada (Caninflas) as Cougar.

You can’t take this movie too seriously. Remember, it began as a comic book for crying out loud. But if you enjoy glossy, high-octane entertainment, and snappy tongue-in-cheek exchanges between some of Hollywood’s finest actors, this is a movie you’re likely to enjoy.