''Countdown at Kusini'' (also known as ''Cool Red'') is a 1976 American-

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

action-

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis.

Synopsis

During a trip to the newly independent nation of Fahari, Africa, Red Salter, an African American jazz musician, falls in love with Leah Matanzima, but she is involved in Fahari's struggle against a puppet government run by multinational corporations. Jealous of Leah's friendship with white British journalist Charles Henderson, Red reluctantly joins her support of revolutionary leader Ernest Motapo and helps her obtain guns from weapons dealer Saidu. When Fahari officials arrest them, Charles rescues Leah and Red; then spirits them away in a motorboat, but Ben Amed, a French mercenary hired to assassinate Motapo, rams them with another boat and kills Charles. Marnie (Yola), Motapo's traitorous nephew, arranges with Amed to ambush Motapo at a railroad junction near Kusini, but Leah and Red arrive in time with revolutionary fighters. After killing Marnie and Amed, Leah welcomes Red to Africa's revolution against European imperialism.

Cast

* Ruby Dee - Leah Matanzima * Ossie Davis - Ernest Motapo * Greg Morris - Red Salter * Tom Aldredge - Ben Amed * Michael Ebert - Charles Henderson * Thomas Baptiste - John Okello * Jab Adu - Juma Bakari * Elsie Olusola - Mamouda * Funsho Adeolu - Marni * Ibidun Allison - Sniper

Production

The film was conceived and entirely financed by Delta Sigma Theta, an African-American sorority that owned DST Telecommunications which produced material to counter the "inaccurate portrayal of black people in media". Filming took place in August 1974 in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

with both U.S. and Nigerian crews. Dee, Davis, and Morris deferred their salaries until the film made a profit.

References

External links

* * 1976 films American action drama films 1970s action drama films 1970s war drama films Films directed by Ossie Davis Films set in Africa Films shot in Lagos Nigerian action drama films American films about revenge 1976 drama films 1970s English-language films English-language Nigerian films 1970s American films English-language action drama films English-language war drama films {{action-drama-film-stub