GIFF JOHNSON
What does the right zori of Miss Marshall Islands, a plate of fried chicken and rice, and a Tumto Gang member have to do with securing a return of the stolen crown of Miss Marshall Islands?
If you watch the latest release of Microwave Films’ Majuro 5-Oh, Episode 2, you’ll find out that these are key elements in the rescue of the crown — the loss of which threatened to undermine the future of the Miss Marshall Islands contest and give the Marshall Islands an international black eye.
Such are the vagaries of police work in the Marshall Islands that we find 5-Oh star detective Lord, Rajah Lord (Roger Muller) as the bumbling but likable ace detective who is ordered by his boss, MK (Save Filemoni), to find the crown in a day due to the imminent departure of Miss Marshall Islands to compete in an international contest.
It’s Rajah’s day to “babysit,” and he’s looking after his niece, Ku’leana (Gisele Niedenthal), as MK tells him to come in for an urgent assignment. So Ku’leana becomes the detective’s sidekick for much of the film, demanding he do things like feed her.
Rajah takes on the job, combing his hair as he ponders the assignment, but he has a hard time appeasing Miss Marshall Islands’ mama (Mailynn Konelios-Langinlur — who is Miss Marshall Islands mama in real life). Mom is not happy with Rajah and lets him know it, even to the point of beating on the hood of his retreating vehicle as Rajah flees their home.
In one scene, as Rajah leaves Miss Marshall Islands’ home, mom says tersely: “I don’t trust this guy.”
Miss Marshall Islands (Claret Chong Gum, also the real Miss Marshall Islands) makes it clear to Rajah that if he doesn’t find her crown it will become a problem with international ramifications.
Meanwhile, there is boss MK who is harassing Rajah for results. MK — which in the Marshall Islands means “mijak kõrã” (scared of women) — does her very best to make sure that Rajah is scared of her, and he is, to the point he refuses to answer one of her phone calls and dodges her demands for updates on the case. When an island woman gets her hands on her hips and a certain look, it’s advisable to do what Rajah does: Get out of MK’s immediate range and get working on the assignment.
But he gets sidetracked by the scammer Dr. B.E. Jack (Jack Niedenthal), who offers up a creative Russian accent behind a sinister pirate-type eye patch. He is offering “free medical advise” for $1. And in the process of Rajah checking him out, he manages to steal Rajah’s 5-Oh cop ID.
After unknowingly losing his ID, he stops by a local takeout to buy a six-pack but takeout princess, self-described as “the beautiful woman who runs this takeout” (Pele Levy-Strauss), says nothing doing with an ID, which Rajah can’t produce. So he departs beer-less.
Then there is Bee Ajji (Vivian Koroivulaono), a waitress who pops up at multiple restaurants to generally make Rajah’s life a challenge.
Finally, what does Rajah do to get back on track? He does what all sensible people do in one of Jack Niedenthal’s original screenplays: He turns to Lijimu (Netha Gideon) for help.
Lijimu reached stardom status in Jack’s early Noniep film series as a practitioner of on-screen black magic. She’s back in Majuro 5-Oh Episode 2 and she doesn’t disappoint.
In her mysterious island way, Lijimu tells Rajah she must have the right zori of Miss Marshall Islands and, as Rajah gets up to leave her to pursue what will become a daylight robbery by a cop, Lijimu adds: And bring me a plate of fried chicken.
So Rajah steals the zori, buys the chicken plate and, well, you have to watch the 41-minute film to see what happens to know the end of this story.
The movie winds up somewhat where it got serious and that is at the takeout store with Rajah back on a beer mission, now that the case was (uh, I can’t say; you have to watch it).
Anyway, it’s now Sunday, he’s got his ID and he wants a six-packing. Here’s my ID (upside down) — give me beer. Sorry, says the takeout princess, “you can’t buy beer today.” Why not? asks Rajah. “Because today is Sunday.”
She won’t budge and he demands to see her boss, who turns out to be, guess who? Bee Ajji, who ensures that Rajah’s Sunday beer mission is a failure.
The link to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vrrhnMByuo