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MOVIE REVIEWS
Read the complete review for movies
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our iloveblackmovies critics had to say
our iloveblackmovies critics had to say
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that are currently showing in a theater
our iloveblackmovies critics had to say
our iloveblackmovies critics had to say
about a movie that is no longer showing
in theaters, visit the movie archive.
Clifford "Method Man" Smith in "The Wackness".
Black Dynamite
DVD REVIEW
Rated - R
3 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
KAM WILLIAMS SAYS:
DVD REVIEW
Rated - R
3 OUT 5 POPCORN BAGS
KAM WILLIAMS SAYS:
In recent years, some leading directors have seen fit to pay tribute to the Blaxploitation Era of the
Seventies, for instance, Malcolm Lee with Undercover Brother and Quentin Tarantino with Jackie
Brown. But where the former was clearly a parody and the latter more of an homage, it’s not so easy
to tell exactly what director Scott Sanders is going for in the case of Black Dynamite, a satire or a
drama to be taken at face value.
Set in 1972, the film stars Michael Jai White in the title role as a gun-toting, two-fisted superhero bent
on avenging the murder of his brother by the Mafia. Quite conveniently, the mobsters responsible
have been flooding the ghetto with heroin and a penis-shrinking brand of malt liquor which afflicts
black men with erectile dysfunction. Consequently, Dynamite rationalizes bloody retribution as he
makes the most of beaucoup opportunities to even the score as he traces a trail back to the brains of
the operation leading all the way to the White House.
Essentially, the movie is a nostalgic throwback celebrating all of the trademarks of the blaxploit genre,
from jive pimps in garish outfits with scantily-clad whores to evil politicians with corrupt cops in their
pockets to a funky R&B soundtrack to foul-mouthed dialogue laced with both expletives and ethnic
slurs. Still, the flick’s salient feature is high-body count action, with Dynamite being responsible for
the bulk of the butt-kicking.
Granted, it’s fun to witness the revival of an array of flamboyant, one-dimensional stereotypes, yet it’s
also reasonable to expect a storyline a little more sophisticated than the sort of superficial formulaic
fare resurrected here.
But between the period costumes and the vaguely-familiar plot, the film looks like a shameless
remake borrowing the best elements of The Mack, Superfly, Shaft and other readily-interchangeable
classics of that best-forgotten era. That being said, if you don’t ask Black Dynamite to be anything
deeper than an entertaining retro diversion, you’re apt to feel richly rewarded.
Can you dig it, you jive-ass sucker?
Seventies, for instance, Malcolm Lee with Undercover Brother and Quentin Tarantino with Jackie
Brown. But where the former was clearly a parody and the latter more of an homage, it’s not so easy
to tell exactly what director Scott Sanders is going for in the case of Black Dynamite, a satire or a
drama to be taken at face value.
Set in 1972, the film stars Michael Jai White in the title role as a gun-toting, two-fisted superhero bent
on avenging the murder of his brother by the Mafia. Quite conveniently, the mobsters responsible
have been flooding the ghetto with heroin and a penis-shrinking brand of malt liquor which afflicts
black men with erectile dysfunction. Consequently, Dynamite rationalizes bloody retribution as he
makes the most of beaucoup opportunities to even the score as he traces a trail back to the brains of
the operation leading all the way to the White House.
Essentially, the movie is a nostalgic throwback celebrating all of the trademarks of the blaxploit genre,
from jive pimps in garish outfits with scantily-clad whores to evil politicians with corrupt cops in their
pockets to a funky R&B soundtrack to foul-mouthed dialogue laced with both expletives and ethnic
slurs. Still, the flick’s salient feature is high-body count action, with Dynamite being responsible for
the bulk of the butt-kicking.
Granted, it’s fun to witness the revival of an array of flamboyant, one-dimensional stereotypes, yet it’s
also reasonable to expect a storyline a little more sophisticated than the sort of superficial formulaic
fare resurrected here.
But between the period costumes and the vaguely-familiar plot, the film looks like a shameless
remake borrowing the best elements of The Mack, Superfly, Shaft and other readily-interchangeable
classics of that best-forgotten era. That being said, if you don’t ask Black Dynamite to be anything
deeper than an entertaining retro diversion, you’re apt to feel richly rewarded.
Can you dig it, you jive-ass sucker?
Michael Jai White
Reviews
Valentine's Day - 0 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
Black Dynamite - 3 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
Good Hair - 4 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
Valentine's Day - 0 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
Black Dynamite - 3 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
Good Hair - 4 out of 5 Popcorn Bags
