Plot: Soho, London. Childhood friends Timi, Sango, and Gbonka reunite on the eve of the British Museum’s historic purchase of the works of Timi’s father, the seminal Nigerian artist Adewale Balogun.

Timi has been invited as a “guest of honor,” but what the Museum is heralding as a triumphant acquisition, the trio see as nothing short of brazen cultural theft. Emboldened by a night of drinking and shared outrage, they concoct a bold scheme… to steal back the artwork themselves!

Review: The movie Black Panther opens with the character Killmonger, played by Michael B Jordan, at a British museum. The so called expert tells him about the pieces on display. Eventually he corrects her on something and the heist action of the scene starts.

It’s estimated that 90%-95% of sub-Saharan cultural heritage is held in museums and private collections outside of Africa. The scene gestures towards the larger conversation surrounding the idea of cultural reclamation and decolonizing art museums, especially British ones.

Bronze Faces takes that gesture and drapes it over a heist story.

Bronze Faces is a busy story. It bounces back and forth in place and time every couple of pages. While every transition is clearly marked for the reader it does make for a dizzying reading experience.

In some respects the story feels like an attempt to utilize the characteristics of montage in film where the rapid juxtaposition of images is meant to convey more information. But it also makes the story feel fragmented at times. This is where the structure of the heist story steps in to assist. We know how heist stories work so that structure is working hard to counter balance that montage type effect. That balance isn’t always maintained though. For example, I would have loved to spend more time with the secondary members of the heist crew.

The central trio of characters provide an interesting wrinkle in how heist crew members clash with each other. You expect the crew to come apart at some point and maybe start turning on each other. Here, each character is carrying the weight of familial history and a kind of sibling baggage. On top of that they are sleeping with each other. So the central trio of characters involved in the heist jobs are a very messy throuple.

Bronze Faces is an ambitious story with a lot of ideas on it’s mind. It’s relevant to our times and has great action. I imagine it opens up more on re-read too. Plus, as we all know, heist stories rule.

Rating: mixed positive/recommended

Availability: Bronze Faces is in print and should be easily available in print, digital, and from the library