Landline: A Time Loop Thriller That Will Keep You Hooked

Dele Doherty’s directorial debut, Landline, recently dropped on Prime Video, and it’s one we’ve been eagerly anticipating since the first trailer hit. Starring Zainab Balogun, Gabriel Afolayan, and Bucci Franklin, this suspense-filled drama promised an intense ride — and it delivers on that front. Here’s what we thought about the film.

A Deadly Time Loop With High Emotional Stakes

In Landline, a stranded military sergeant receives eerie calls from an old landline, each guiding him to save his pregnant wife from a relentless killer, only to watch her die again and again in a nightmarish loop.

Right from the synopsis, the film signals its time-loop premise, a familiar but tricky concept Nollywood has tackled with mixed results. The major plot follows Kolapo, trapped in a safe house and racing against time to save his wife, Shalewa. Smaller threads explore why Kola is in hiding and his wife is being hunted, layering extra tension onto the main story.

Strong World-Building, but a Flimsy Motive

Given the looping structure, Landline is impressively attentive to detail. Repeated moments — like Shalewa’s gunshot wound — remain consistent across loops, reinforcing the film’s internal logic.

However, the reason Shalewa becomes a target feels unnecessarily exaggerated. The villains move to extreme action based purely on suspicion without clear evidence. While it heightens the drama, it stretches credibility slightly in an otherwise tightly plotted film.

Raw Emotion and Convincing Chemistry

Gabriel Afolayan and Zainab Balogun deliver deeply affecting performances as Kola and Shalewa. Afolayan captures Kola’s mounting desperation as the loops continue, while Balogun portrays Shalewa’s fear and heartbreak with impressive authenticity, especially in the scene where Shalewa kills the intruder but chooses to die herself to protect her unborn child.

The chemistry between the two leads is convincing and helps ground the film emotionally. Their connection is further strengthened by natural, believable dialogue, making their relationship feel real and worth rooting for.

Captivating Visuals and Nail-Biting Tension

The film’s technical execution deserves praise. The opening shot — Shalewa, lost and disoriented — instantly immerses us. Close-up shots throughout the film heighten the emotional stakes, Dutch angles help picture a disoriented character. The mood and tone of the film suits the genre.

Landline also uses sound strategically: music cues build suspense without overwhelming the story. Scenes like Shalewa hiding in the closet as the killer lurks nearby are visually striking and pulse-raising, showing a strong understanding of thriller mechanics.

A Strong Thriller With a Few Frustrating Character Choices

Landline grips viewers from the very first scene and never lets go. However, some character decisions feel questionable. It’s odd that a heavily pregnant woman alone at night would open the door without caution, and when Kola realises the existence of the loop, he spends too much time explaining instead of acting swiftly. Also the scene where the killer appears to dodge bullet looked poorly choreographed.

Shalewa’s emotional reactions during the killer’s pursuit also occasionally feel unrealistic given the life-threatening situation. Despite these flaws, the film maintains its intensity to the end, though the ending leaves us wondering how long Kola will be trapped in this cycle, as the loop seemingly remains unbroken even after Shalewa’s rescue.

Verdict

Landline tells a gripping story with a strong three-actor cast. While it stands out as one of the best loop films we’ve seen from Nollywood with strong performances, and polished visuals, it leaves us with several unanswered questions.

Rating: 3.5/5

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Uju Okosieme

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