Crime drama blends biblical themes with modern street culture, but fails to captivate the panel.
Performances by rappers Wiz Khalifa and Quavo deemed unconvincing, feeling more like a music video than a film.
Constant jumps between present-day Chicago and biblical-era Egypt disrupt the narrative and undermine the storytelling.
From the streets of Chicago to the deserts of fourth-century Egypt, The Black Watch is taking on an unconventional crime drama, for better, or in this case (a biblically bit), worse.
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The latest installment of BOSSIP and Cassius’ editorial-led series turns its attention to Moses the Black, the faith-infused thriller starring Omar Epps, Wiz Khalifa, and Quavo. The episode brings together BOSSIP Managing Editor Dani Canada, executive producer Serita Wesley, iONE Digital Director of Content for the Men’s Division Alvin Blanco, and comedian-writer Richard Jones for a candid conversation examining the film’s ambitious blend of crime, spirituality, and redemption.
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“If you’ve ever wondered what a gritty, faith-soaked crime saga would look like when you remix early Christian legend with modern street culture, Moses the Black is your answer,” Dani says at the start of the episode. “Omar Epps, Wiz Khalifa, and Quavo lead this story of an outlaw wrestling with power, faith, and redemption, written and directed by Yelena Popovic and executive produced by 50 Cent. We’re diving into the film, the message, and the movement around it on this episode of The Black Watch.”
Source: @jenjphoto / Jennifer Johnson
Directed by Popovic, Moses the Black follows Malik (Epps), a feared gang leader from Chicago’s West Side whose brush with death leaves him haunted by visions of St. Moses the Black, portrayed by Chukwudi Iwuji. Inspired by the legendary fourth-century Ethiopian saint who transformed from a violent outlaw into one of Christianity’s most revered desert monks, the film explores themes of power, forgiveness, and redemption through a contemporary lens.
While the premise intrigued the panel, the execution failed to win them over.
“Absolutely not,” Richard said when Dani asked whether the film worked as a crime drama. “If this generation was wondering, ‘Where’s our Belly? Where is our star-studded, horrible movie?’ Here you go. You got it. Congratulations. Achievement unlocked.”
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Alvin shared a similarly blunt assessment.
“Yeah, this makes Belly look like Shakespeare for real,” he joked. “I want my time back. There’s a lot of stuff I could have been doing other than watching.”
Dani noted that the panel wasn’t alone in its criticism.
“A lot of people are in agreement with us about this movie,” she said. “It has a 21 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but people are praising Omar Epps’ performance. They said it only really works in his scenes and that the Wiz and Quavo material leans into cliché hood movie.”
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Even Richard, one of the episode’s harshest critics, agreed Epps delivered one of the film’s strongest performances.
“The fact that grizzly Omar Epps could not save this movie says everything,” he said. “Omar Epps was great, but everywhere else around him was not great. The script was not great. Just the way that it was shot. Everything looked like a music video.”
Source: @jenjphoto / Jennifer Johnson
While praising Epps’ performance, Dani also admitted that one creative decision kept taking her out of the film.
“My biggest gripe was that they made Omar a part of the Triple C. Do you know what that is?” she asked.
“Like the gang?” Serita replied quizzically.
“No,” Dani laughed. “The Colored Contact Community. It was so distracting!”
Alvin added that the film felt more like an extended music video than a feature film.
“This project had about three rappers too many,” he said. “Lots of Wiz Khalifa music. Like you said, it was kind of like a music video.”
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The panel also took issue with the film’s storytelling, particularly its constant jumps between present-day Chicago and biblical-era Egypt.
At one point, Serita jokingly suggested that simply having to watch the film felt like a punishment.
“I don’t deserve this,” she laughed. “I don’t know what I did to The Black Watch, but I personally don’t deserve this.”
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“I didn’t like the way they were flipping back and forth between worlds because there was no transition,” she said. “It was just like all of a sudden, he’s back in biblical times.”
The supporting performances also failed to convince the panel.
“Wiz Khalifa… I’m not buying it. I’m sorry. Quavo? Sure, fine,” Serita said.
“They played themselves,” said Dani.
“They played themselves figuratively and literally,” Serita replied.
Whew! This was a rough one.
Are YOU watching Moses The Black?
Source: @jenjphoto / Jennifer Johnson
Check out the latest episode of The Black Watch below.
