Nine is a Ghallywood (Ghanaian) supernatural thriller released on Prime Video on February 25, 2025. Written by Briana Cole and Erica Joy, and directed by Chris Attoh, who also stars in the film, it has a runtime of 1 hour and 38 minutes.
The movie follows a detective, supported by an elite squad of assassins, as they investigate a series of ritualistic murders across West Africa, aiming to uncover the entity behind these killings.
Premise
The film starts off with a written backstory scrolling up the screen, telling us about an urban legend; An exclusively female group of warrior-assassins that are incredibly powerful but kept hidden.
“No one has succeeded in catching a glimpse of these women or lived to share their story…”
The scene shifts to a home in Ghana, where a young girl is having nightmares. She wakes up screaming for her mother, saying “He’s back” while pointing at the corner. The mother sees nothing and comforts her with a lullaby. However, the girl points to the corner again, and this time, an evil spirit appears, causing a jump scare as it charges at them.
Then we are taken to a deep forest, where the spirit is fleeing with the girl on its shoulder. However, a group of hooded female warriors/hunters stops and kills the spirit, rescuing the girl. These women are likely the powerful assassins mentioned earlier.
Next, the story moves to Los Angeles, California, where Detective John Kerston is investigating a random murder. He is later invited to a company party but declines, mentioning his daughter’s birthday celebration as the reason. He is seen buying a cake and party food before heading home.
At the University of Arts and Culture in Ghana, substitute Professor Russell struggles to engage a disinterested class until Aloni, the class beauty, arrives late. She flirts with the professor despite his resistance and her on/off boyfriend, Jason, being present.
After class, Jason confronts Aloni about her behavior, leading to an argument, but they reconcile and plan a date that evening. Lauren, Aloni’s best friend and roommate, disapproves of Jason’s cheating and mistreatment of Aloni. That night, as Aloni gets ready for the date, she and Lauren argue again, but Aloni decides to go. She then receives an excited call from an unnamed person, looking forward to meeting them.
We are taken back to Los Angeles, where the detective is in his house, depressed, despite being surrounded by food and the birthday cake. We discover that his daughter is actually dead and he is celebrating her posthumously.
The scene shifts to a police station in Accra, where we meet Head Detective Vivian, who, through a flashback, is revealed to be the leader of the female warriors. She examines photos of a brutally murdered girl and calls Detective John. During the call, it’s revealed that the murder of John’s daughter bears a disturbing resemblance to the current case, including strange markings on their bodies. John agrees to travel to Ghana to investigate alongside Vivian.
When he arrives the next day, Vivian and John discuss the 28 serial murders, all of which show the same ritualistic signs. Vivian suspects witchcraft is involved. She soon receives a call and leaves the station with John. They travel to a forest, where another body has been discovered, and it is revealed to be Aloni.
The story then moves to the Oja Mountains, where a hidden base called the “Nine Training Grounds” is located. Vivian is meditating when she’s interrupted by “Mother Warrior,” their master who oversees their training. They have a sparring session that includes both physical and magical combat. The next day, Vivian visits the church to speak with the pastor, a key figure for the Nine. A flashback reveals how, 20 years ago, Vivian and the other girls were chosen to become warriors and brought to the training grounds. Despite being the smallest, Vivian was selected as the head warrior. The Nine is sponsored by the church to address the physical effects of spiritual warfare.
The rest of the movie takes us through a culmination of both flashbacks and current events that not only reveal the killer, but also their motives and something much more sinister simmering below.
Also to be expected are badass women, an epic showdown, and a very intriguing plot twist and ending.
Cast and Performances
Nine features an interesting blend of Ghallywood, Nollywood and Hollywood faces such as:
- Rosemary Zimu as Vivian
- Damien D. Smith as Detective John Kirston
- Chris Attoh as Professor Russel
- Juliet Ibrahim as Ellis AKA Wheelchair Woman
- Chasity Saunders as Aloni
- And a brief performance from Kate Henshaw as Mother Warrior
Let me just say, the acting was fantastic. Bravo, truly. The range of expressions and dialogue contributed to giving the characters, and subsequently the story, so much more depth. Zimu and Smith have such good on-screen chemistry and compatibility and not even in a romantic way. It just seemed to flow perfectly between them and that I can truly appreciate. Chris Attoh is also to be applauded. To be able to give such an intriguing performance while also directing the film is a feat in and of itself, and he will get his flowers.
And then on to the characters. I love Detective John. He is such a complex yet well-rounded character. A broken father who copes with grief by excessively working to catch the culprit responsible might seem like an overdone trope but trust me, it fits right at home in this specific setting. And Vivian is just the perfect piece of icing on the cake because what better partner/sidekick for the workaholic yet tired old cop than the fresh-eyed younger agent that looks up to him? And she kicks some supernatural ass on the side? Absolute cinema.
I do wish they had expanded more on other characters though. Specifically, the other warrior ladies. The entire movie is focused and marketed on these incredible powerful elite assassin warriors, only for just one of them to get a significant amount of screen time.
What I liked about the film
I loved the plot of this movie. I’ll admit I was incredibly skeptical at first but it gave exactly what it was supposed to give. Everything from the heroes to the villains (the villains deserve a story of their own), was incredibly well put together. I love the focus on modern/western ideas in a traditional African twist (badass Avenger-esque Black female warriors are always a win in my book, just look at Black Panther). Color me surprised as I didn’t know that Ghallywood was capable of such. Well done.
What I Didn’t Like
As fantastic as this movie is, there are a few bones I would like to pick with it. Starting with the fight scenes. Don’t get me wrong, the girls still looked badass, but think of how much better it could’ve been if there was a professional fight choreographer on board. The fights (aside from the ones involving weapons) mostly looked like the same hand movements, making it look a little silly. Also, the movie felt a bit rushed. There were so many potential plot points that if expanded upon would’ve made a fantastic series. I know I’d definitely watch.
Final Thoughts
This was a great movie. Again, my understanding of the Ghanaian movie industry is completely limited because I was definitely surprised by the production being so good. I will definitely be doing more research as I hunt for my next watch.
How Would I Rate This Movie?
I rate “Nine”: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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