A well-intentioned historical drama that unfolds in the 1960s against the backdrop of the Nigerian Civil War, Half of a Yellow Sun features a couple strong lead performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton, plus the sort of high stakes and stark socioeconomic class conflict that often lends itself to engaging adaptation. But the film gets caught up in the undertow of mawkish melodrama early on, never to fully recover. For the full, original review, from ShockYa, click here. (Monterey Media, R, 113 minutes)
