Genre Film: The Law

As detectives are usual apart of the juridical law, they must also contend with following their own personal laws that they have determined based upon their upbringing and beliefs. While trying to come to a resolution, the detective is often faced with breaking either the overarching juridical law (which will be referred to as The Law), or breaking their own personal belief system (which will be referred to as the law). In “Genre Films”, Nichols states that “[Genre films] raise questions of power, hierarchy, authority and justice. Who has power and who doesn’t? Who must have decisions made for them, be ruled, or acted upon? (265)” These questions of power, hierarchy, authority and justice are answered based upon how a character acts and changes

His goal throughout the film is only to reunite with his daughter and because of that Okwe adjusts some of his own personal laws to reach his goal. Since this film is shot in a chronological order, viewers can watch how Okwe is portrayed early in the film compared to late in the film. The goal of reuniting with his daughter determines his entire way of thinking throughout the film. In the first scene of the film, Okwe eludes to his distrust in the system when looking for someone who needs a taxi, “I’m not here to meet you in particular, but I am here to rescue those let down by the system. (00:01:10)” The Law of his own original country in Africa let Okwe down when he was framed for his wife’s murder, and this causes Okwe to have a strong distrust in The Law of England as well. This distrust of The Law grows as the film goes on and as Okwe sees the pretty dirty things of England’s underground. Okwe cannot reap the benefits of The Law due to his illegal status, so Okwe breaks The Law frequently throughout the film as long as he is still following his own personal

He is a man who very rarely sleeps and works at a front desk of a hotel during the night. He even uses an illegal herb to help keep awake during the film so that he can perform both of his jobs. Okwe does not lie during the film, but in some cases, he chooses to leave out information. When speaking with Senay, Okwe states, “I tell them only the truth” (00:26:40). Okwe only violated his law of honesty when confronted with lying to Senor Juan before drugging him. Okwe humbly refers to himself as “a driver” when he is asked if he was a doctor (00:03:20). He is not accredited or licensed to be a doctor in England, so he does not refer to himself as one even though his bosses refer to him as a doctor. Through the rest of the film, Okwe remains a humble man until the organ drop off where he makes a statement about the people behind the scenes, the people of the underground. Okwe contends, “…we are the people you do not see. We are the ones who drive your cabs. We clean your rooms, and suck your cocks” (01:25:20). This statement takes aim at the group of people who take advantage of those who hide from The Law because they must break The Law to continue living. It tells a sort of secular parable where the vast system of bureaucracy hides the people of the city from their leaders and vice versa. Okwe’s master plan to drug Senor Juan and then take his kidney is the ultimate defiance of the hierarchy