Los Angeles — One of the most outstanding films at this year's Pan African Film Festival was Legacy by Nigerian/British filmmaker Thomas Ikimi. It tells the story of Malcolm Gray, a former American black-ops soldier who struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Gray is played by Idris Elba, a British actor with Ghanaian and Sierra Leonean roots. It is arguably Elba's best performance to date. The actor, known for playing a variety of roles, shines in this performance. His portrayal of Gray takes the audience through his life as a soldier to the pain he endured being tortured, with his portrayal of Gray's mental breakdown particularly chilling.

Most of the film takes place in Malcolm Gray's apartment in Brooklyn, New York, making the imagery dark and gritty. A criticism: after setting up the torture of this former black-ops soldier as an important part of the story, Ikimi inserts Gray's escape as a mere side-note, making it easy to miss how he manages to get away.

But the film easily redeems itself with an ending that is both up expected and jarring. Given the predictability of endings in many feature films, Legacy delivers a raw and emotional look at what happens to a man who has been pushed to his limits.

The film was shot in Scotland in about four weeks with a modest budget. In addition to Idris Elba the film also features Eamonn Walker, Monique Gabriela Curnen and Clarke Peters.  Elba, Peters and Walker are all alumni of the HBO televisions series The Wire (Elba & Peters) and Oz (Walker).

Legacy was released in theatres in 2010 and is now available on DVD.

Msia Kibona Clark is an AllAfrica special corresponent who covered the 19th Annual Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. The festival screened more than 100 films made by and/or about people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Europe and Canada.