phancy.com - horror reviews - MOH 2022

Saloum



IMDb Info

Release Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 24m
Country: Senegal
Language: French, Wolof
Genre Tags: Action, Horror, Thriller
Plot Summary: In 2003, a trio of mercenaries escaping a coup in Guinea-Bissau take refuge in a hidden region on the Saloum river of Senegal. But something from beyond the grave awaits them there.

Poster - Title Card


phancy.com rating:

phancy.com notes: This movie is fire. It continuously reveals itself layer after layer without ever seeming like it's purposefully withheld information from you. There aren't twists so much as revelations of truths. It starts as a gripping crime drama, and flips to action horror without missing a beat. It can't maintain the momentum at the very end, but that's a very minor quibble. This is a stylish treat of genre-bending cinema.


Outside Reviews:

Glenn Kenny
3.5 out of 4 stars - rogerebert.com

Herbulot's direction has not just energy to spare but a truly advanced and accomplished perspective. As a result, he makes even old genre sights—like a flashlight beam scouring a darkened room—look almost new again. This is one of the most satisfying films, genre or otherwise, of the year.


Phuong Le
4 out of 4 stars - Slick gangster horror in wild west Africa

With his intense gaze and charismatic swagger, Yann Gael gives a star-making turn as Chaka, the tormented leader of Bangui's Hyenas. Since the crisp running time occasionally falters under the weight of culturally specific references, Saloum demands close attention; it certainly earns it too. Keen eyes might notice how the film is billed as a "southern" in the opening credits. Sure enough, Saloum does not stop at simply reinterpreting the tropes of the western but wholly retools its influences with local flavours.