Thrilling action from ‘iNumber Number’
In a country where the erosion of political and social institutions plagues the majority of its people, it is no surprise when good men succumb to the foolishness of desperation. This is the reality that pervades Spud director Donovan Marsh’s latest offering, iNumber Number.
Truly reflective of its name – a slang word referring to a heist or risky activity that yields high reward – the film follows a series of characters’ attempts to escape cycles of violence and powerlessness in their lives, by any means necessary.
For headstrong protagonist Chili (S’dumo Mtshali) and his partner Shoes (Presley Chweneyagae), this means making enough money to escape poverty and support their families, despite risking their lives daily as upstanding members of a corrupt police force.
The opening sequence places us at the centre of the pair’s plan to do just that. We find Chili tied to a chair, held captive by a band of "rats" (or gangsters) – who have just learnt that he is an undercover cop trying to turn them in for the reward on their heads.
In a series of fearless, Tarantino-style moves that leave the agile cop gasping for breath, he and Shoes successfully catch the "rats", which leads to their conviction. But the heroes are robbed of their reward by the greedy police chief who trades favours with criminals.
A frustrated and desperate Chili begins to tread the thin line between cop and criminal. "The gravy train has left the station and politicians, cops, everyone is on board except us," he tells Shoes, as he reels him in as an associate to a heist that he, and several other criminals will undertake, under the leadership of rapist Kingpin, Mambane.
The duo are an unlikely pair whose partnership reflects the contradictory relationship between desperation and morality. It is in this way that iNumber Number provides social commentary under the guise of an occasionally comedic, yet chillingly violent action thriller.
The film is rich in what initially appears to be senseless violence, but is later revealed as an ironic device intended to highlight the fractured nature of our young democracy.
It explores the idea that enforcing violence could be the only means to escape violence in such a society. For example, Chili willingly participates in criminal activity when he realises that being the good guy yields no reward. On the other hand Shoes, despite being resistant to the plan, becomes an accomplice hoping it will enable him to provide for his wife and unborn child. Both characters consent to the act in the hope of reversing the violence that an unequal economic system and rotten police force has inflicted on them.
It is in this way that every element of iNumber Number sets to defy convention and present a uniquely South Africa story told from a uniquely South African point of view.
By using a participant rather than voyeuristic style of cinematography, Marsh’s directorial style implicates the viewer in the action. This is effective in how the audience empathises with Chili and Shoes. The script and cast portray the depth and authenticity of the gangster subculture that is so to pertinent to the criminal underworld of this country. All of these characteristics help capture the kind of unique South African story that Marsh set out to portray.
