Lumumba (2000)
Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 57
Fresh: 46 | Rotten: 11
Ebouaney's fiery performance makes Lumumba compelling.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 24
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 3
Ebouaney's fiery performance makes Lumumba compelling.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 1,098
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Movie Info
Patrice Lumumba was a passionate advocate for freedom in colonial Africa, and when the Belgian Congo was granted independent (and was later renamed Zaire), Lumumba was the new nation's first prime minister. However, Lumumba's dream of freedom and dignity for the people of the Congo made him a controversial and dangerous figure, and this biographical drama explores his short, tumultuous life. We first encounter Lumumba (Eriq Ebouaney) in the late 1950's, when his National Congo Movement is
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Cast
-
Eriq Ebouaney
Patrice Lumumba -
Alex Descas
Joseph Mobutu -
Moussa Theophile Sowie
Marice Mpolo -
Maka Kotto
Joseph Kasa Vubu
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Lumumba Trailer & Photos
All Critics (67) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (11) | DVD (2)
At the heart of the movie is Ebouaney's performance as Lumumba, every bit as intense as Denzel Washington's as Malcolm X.
Top CriticEbouaney is easily the best thing about this import.
An engrossing film that attempts to unearth a dark period of African history and the short-lived tenure of Lumumba's power.
The vividness of the figures and situations whets the appetite.
Ebouaney is given the daunting task of carrying a heavy film, and rises to the challenge with Denzel Washington-esque conviction.
Captures the volatility and chaos of a nation struggling to find its identity and purpose.
It's a prime example of how a historical drama can be politically correct but thoroughly embalmed. The memory of Patrice Lumumba deserves better.
Drawn from life or not, film people need some flaw, some depth, a facial betrayal of emotional struggle. If not, they are the stuff of action adventure, rooted for but at once forgotten.
One day, when Ebouaney is a huge star, people will look back at this film and say 'That's what did it.'
Peck, who assayed Lumumba's life in a 1991 documentary, now paces the doomed man's story like the genuine thriller it is.
The story of the Congo and its struggle for independence from Belgium is a bloody and torrid one, but Lumumba doesn't really imbue the tale with much spirit.
Audience Reviews for Lumumba
An interesting film.
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Foreign Titles
- Lumumba: Death of a Prophet (AU)
