REVIEW: TO KILL A MONKEY. The Biggest Villain in To Kill a Monkey Wasn't Teacher. It Was Efe's Own Decisions

Reviewed by Opaluwa Oguche.😁

Before I begin, let me make one thing clear: I am not a movie critic, nor have I ever written a movie review before.

In fact, I hardly watch Nollywood movies.

But after hearing so much buzz about To Kill a Monkey, and seeing the recognition Uboz's performance has received, curiosity got the better of me. I downloaded just the first episode, telling myself that if it didn't impress me, I would simply move on.

Instead, I found myself downloading the remaining episodes immediately after the first one ended.

That is what this review is about. Not an expert's breakdown of filmmaking techniques, but the honest thoughts of an ordinary viewer who became emotionally invested in the story, rooted for Efe from the very beginning, celebrated his victories, got frustrated by his decisions, and finished the series with one overwhelming feeling: this is one of the best Nollywood productions I have watched in a long time.

From the opening episode, the series grabs your attention and refuses to let go. Watching Efe, a first class graduate, reduced to working in a restaurant, dressed in worn out clothes and enduring humiliation just to survive, was heartbreaking. The scene where he was publicly embarrassed and forced to kneel was one of the strongest moments in the series. It perfectly captured what poverty can do to a man's dignity.

One moment that has stayed with me was Uboz's reaction as he watched Efe being humiliated. There was hardly any dialogue, but his facial expression said everything. It was the look of someone trying to understand how a man he once knew as brilliant had fallen so low. That silent moment spoke louder than words.

One reason I connected with Efe was because his struggles felt real. The pressure of surviving in Lagos without money, trying to provide for a family, dealing with societal expectations and the constant fear of failure are realities many Nigerians understand. The series didn't exaggerate those struggles. It presented them in a way that made them believable.

The story also quietly reminds us that love alone cannot sustain a marriage. Efe had a wife who genuinely loved him and stood by him through his darkest days. But affection could not pay bills or feed a family. Poverty became another character in their marriage, constantly testing their love.

Then came Uboz. Ahn! That guy ehn.

For me, Uboz wasn't just another character. He was the heartbeat of the entire series.

He was dangerous, unpredictable and deeply flawed, yet he possessed a strange sense of loyalty. Ironically, the criminal became the man who gave Efe another chance at life. Without Uboz, Efe would most likely have remained trapped in poverty.

That is why Efe's decisions frustrated me so much.

The series establishes him as an intelligent man, yet he repeatedly abandoned wisdom whenever it mattered most. When Uboz first offered him an opportunity and Efe rejected it, I was honestly angry. I felt life had already taught him enough painful lessons. It took seeing his wife unable to properly feed their baby before he finally accepted reality and returned to Uboz.

When success eventually came, Efe slowly lost himself.

His wife had stood beside him when he had absolutely nothing. She endured the hunger, the embarrassment and the uncertainty. Yet when wealth arrived, he failed to show the same patience and understanding when she began struggling emotionally. Their marriage slowly fell apart, and Efe allowed another woman to create an even wider gap between them.

The moment Amanda appeared, I became suspicious.

Everything about her arrival felt too convenient. Knowing the kind of man Teacher was, I immediately suspected she was connected to him somehow. As the story unfolded, those suspicions proved correct. Amanda wasn't simply a love interest. She was part of a carefully planned trap, and Efe walked straight into it.

The biggest disappointment for me was Efe's betrayal of Uboz.

Instead of returning to the one man who had always protected him and joining forces against Teacher, Efe chose deception. In my opinion, if Efe and Uboz had stood together, they could have defeated Teacher. Instead, Efe allowed himself to be manipulated until he completely lost sight of who he was.

The scene that broke me emotionally came towards the end.

Even in the face of danger, Uboz's instinct was still to protect Efe. He kept telling him to stay behind him, not realising that the very man he was trying to protect was the one who had betrayed him.

That moment genuinely hurt.

It wasn't just because Uboz died.

It was because loyalty was repaid with betrayal.

Even after that, Efe still refused to learn. He tried to outsmart Amanda as well, believing he could simply walk away with everything. I honestly found myself asking, "How did you think you were going to pull that off?" By that stage, his downfall was no longer surprising. He had become convinced he was always the smartest person in the room.

I also enjoyed the detective storyline. There were moments where Efe cleverly manipulated the investigation, reminding us of the brilliant man we met at the beginning. Those flashes of brilliance made his eventual downfall even more tragic because they showed us exactly what he was capable of becoming if only he had exercised better judgment.

The ending delivered one of the strongest lessons in the entire series.

Efe entered that world because he wanted to rescue his family from poverty. Yet by the end, he had lost almost everything that truly mattered. His marriage was gone. His family was broken. His closest ally was dead. Even the hidden wealth he thought would secure his future slipped away.

That is why I believe the biggest villain in To Kill a Monkey wasn't Teacher.

It was Efe's own decisions.

Every major opportunity that came into his life was eventually destroyed, not simply because of his enemies, but because of the choices he made.

The acting throughout the series was exceptional, but Uboz completely stole the show for me. Every scene he appeared in carried intensity, confidence and authenticity. His performance deserved every bit of recognition it has received.

As someone who rarely watches Nollywood productions, I can honestly say To Kill a Monkey exceeded my expectations.

Final Verdict: 8.5/10.

It is gripping from the first episode to the last, emotionally engaging and filled with outstanding performances. My only criticism is that Efe's repeated lack of judgment became frustrating, especially for someone introduced as highly intelligent.

Still, perhaps that was the point all along.

To Kill a Monkey is more than a crime drama. It is a cautionary tale about poverty, ambition, loyalty, greed and betrayal. It reminds us that while hardship may push a man towards dangerous choices, it is ultimately his own decisions that determine whether he rises above his circumstances or destroys himself.

What do you think?

Have you watched To Kill a Monkey? Do you agree that Efe's own decisions ultimately became his greatest enemy, or do you think poverty and circumstance left him with no better options?

Share your thoughts in the comments.