Black Dynamite

b

Well, if you're like me and you watched this movie only because of the high 7.5 star reviews, then I'm here to hopefully save you 2 hours of your life. First off, if you like things like Key and Peele (formerly of MADtv), then you will almost certainly not like this. If you think seeing a black guy in a totally pimped out over-the-top car covered in flashing lights, looking like Snoopy's dog house in Charlie Brown's Christmas is funny, or seeing a white teenage boy in a rusty Dodge Neon with a big aluminum wing bolted to the trunk is funny, then you probably won't like this movie. I grew up in the 70's and saw all the movies this one was trying to 'spoof' and the originals were WAY funnier but for a completely different reason. The originals were outrageously stupid yet took themselves terribly seriously and THAT was the whole joke about them! I actually think after Sanders started making this, he perhaps even got caught up in it and started thinking "You know, I could make a movie just as 'cool' as an original 1970's films", like he started feeling like Tarantino, and that's just plain sad. To me, this movie would probably appeal to teenage stoners who like to get high and watch Robot Chicken -- people who need to have dumbed-down humour spoon-fed to them as apposed to having to think for themselves.

BLACK DYNAMITE (2009) **1/2 Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, John Salley, Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson, Mykelti Williamson, Bokeem Woodbine, Cedric Yarbrough, Kevin Chapman, Nicole Sullivan, Richard Edson, Buddy Lewis, Brian McKnight, James McManus, Phil Morris, Mike Starr, Roger Yuan. Middling send-up of the '70s 'blaxploitation flix' with a very game White (who co-wrote with Byron Minns & director Scott Sanders) as the titular ass-kicker out for vengeance when his little brother is killed and a heroin ring to be infiltrated before it's too late. While it aims to do what "Naked Gun" comedies did for police procedurals this hit-and-miss parody makes up for it in its excellent production design by Denise Pizzini, Ruth E. Carter's on-target costumes and well-conceived cinematography by Shawn Maurer in recreating the era's kitsch and cool bravado.

I strongly suspect someone who's never seen a blacksploitation (or 'blaxploittion') film would not appreciate this movie--at least not as much as lovers of the genre. As for me, I've seen dozens of films and so many of the plot elements and clichés from these films are in "Black Dynamite" it made for a wonderful homage. What makes this film so watchable is its great combination of action, excellent martial arts action, self-parody and deliberate mistakes that were done to imitate the shoddy production values of some of the blacksploitation films. I loved how in one scene, you can see a boom microphone and how the leading man keeps looking up at it. I also loved how a red Porsche went off the road and over the cliff--and suddenly it became a light colored sedan! But what REALLY made this film fun was the final 1/3--where it got REAAAALLY crazy. Kung Fu Island and a trip to the White House?!? Wow, that made me laugh. I won't say more because it would spoil the suspense, but it was simply amazing to watch. Now you might think that this film was just like "I'm Gonna Git Ya Sucka", though it is not just another version of the same type of film. While I loved them both, "I'm Gonna Git Ya" was a much more obvious and silly parody. "Black Dynamite" was different because the action was actually really, really good and the film was played so very seriously. In fact, up until the film gets really silly, you could easily believe that was made back in the 1970s. This aspect of the film was wonderful! One word of caution, though. Like many of the original films, this is a very adult film. There's a lot of violence and nudity and Black Dynamite is a one man sex machine...so this is not a film to show your mother or kids! Clever, well-made and funny--this is a must-see film. The film has everything going for a parody of the genre needs--great acting, writing, direction and action. To show you how much I loved this film, I would really love to see a sequel--and I usually HATE sequels!! By the way, much of the inspiration for this film must have been "Three the Hard Way". This is a really cool 70s film--one that is also well worth seeing.

Motion pictures like "Scary/Date/Fantastic Movie" and even David Zucker's very own "An American Carol" brought the spoof genre to shame. It gradually got dumber and dumber, until they virtually became an insult to anybody with an IQ over 30. The trailer to "Black Dynamite" got my hopes back up. This looked clever, fresh and it seemed as if it might actually be really funny. Well, although "Black Dynamite" is head and shoulders above the aforementioned movies, it's still no cigar to classics like "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun". The movie's got a lot going for itself: Michael Jai White is the find of the year as title character Black Dynamite, the director and the writers pay a lot of attention to details (the hilarious score, the bad editing and picture quality). But the joke is getting old pretty quickly. After 30 minutes or so the movie feels like a "Kentucky Fried Movie"-skit that overstays its welcome. Having said that, "Black Dynamite" is still highly watchable. What makes it so lovable is that it's something of an insider tip. It was made for no budget, without a mainstream audience in mind and with a lot of love for the genre it satirizes. First and foremost, however, "Black Dynamite" proofs that spoof movies are not only for the braindead, but can actually be witty, observant and a hell of a lot of fun.

I see Black Dynamite getting a lot of love here, but I sure don't dig it as much as most seem to. Admittedly, Michael Jai White does a fantastic job of replicating the macho moves of many a classic blaxploitation hero, and the fashion and style of the film is spot on, but the humour just isn't as great as I had been led to believe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not just some dumb honky who can't appreciate the magic of a big 70s afro, a jive-talking' pimp in a velvet suit, or a sweet soul-sister with a cleavage you could lose a Buick in, but you can get all that from the real deal—what I wanted from Black Dynamite was some decent belly laughs, and they're in short supply here. I guess my main problem is that there's little point in simply mocking the conventions of a genre that is pretty ridiculous in the first place. I had the same problem with Undercover Brother and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka—the original 70s films being sent up were far sillier, more outrageous and consequently more enjoyable than the heavy-handed spoofs.

Black Dynamite is a film starring Michael J. White as its title character, which parodies 70's films. The film has a different look to it, and seems pretty unique in a sense. The films does look very much like it takes place in the 70's (clothing, cinematography, language, weapons). However, Black Dynamite also makes the criminal mistake of not being funny. Other than the ridiculous conspiracy theory where the characters deduce the elements of the complicated plot while staring at a sandwich board, Black Dynamite simply isn't outrageous enough to distinguish itself. Many times, the film would genre switch from an outrageous comedy to a rather serious crime film, and a lot of the guns shots looked too real, rather than cartonish form of bullets against the enemies. Many people consider Black Dynamite to be a very funny film, however I really cant say the same. I didn't laugh while watching the film. I understood the jokes intended for laughs but I though the outcome simply wasn't funny. The dialogue was typical for a 70's parody but overall the humour just wasn't there. Nonetheless, the film had some pretty good action sequences, most of them coming in its final 10 minutes of screen. All in all Black Dynamite isn't that good, clever or funny funny to be a full feature film. I think this would have been better as a 10 minute youtube video.

This movie had a lot of potential I think we will need to wait until Tarantino does this genre before we get a really good one. This movie tackles the task of making fun of blaxploitation films of the 60s and 70s without actually winding up being that funny. It uses some skin, but is way too sanitized in the T&A department- they really missed the boat on what exploitation is all about: decadence and lots of hedonism, to the max. The bell bottom pants were not authentic, there were many scenes that were OK but, they were just OK, not great. The main actor is perfect for the role, he does all the kung fu kicks, etc required and has the good ol super-afro with handlebar mustache, even sequin outfits at times. The problem with this movie is it is presenting something inherently offensive to blacks and trying to make it palatable and humorous.. why bother? That's what was fun about it in the first place!!!!! What we are left with is a sanitized attempt at tongue and cheek which winds up being a tongue in a cotton mouth of dryness, tameness and overall unfunny script. A director with some balls needs to take on this sort of script and give us the laughs AND what we came for- some good old blacksploitation 70s funkiness that has an AUTHENTIC feel, instead of some loser in LA's ripoff hack job. Go see UNDERCOVER BROTHER first, it's a lot funnier. If you want the real deal of what this is making fun of, check out the SuperFly TNT series and Dolemite.

It's not a decent enough plot to be interesting as a straight movie, and it's not skewed or funny enough to be a good spoof. If you want to see a blaxploitation takeoff, "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" is vastly better. The jokes here were quite sparse. It was also too gruesome/explicit in parts (such as a zoom on a "shrunken" * and pulling out some eyeballs). There was a serious jump in the middle (perhaps they were trying to simulate a missing reel) but also an action montage out of nowhere, suddenly dispensing of who we thought was the major villain (and who never find out who he was or what his relationship to the other villains were). It was constructed seemingly at random and not written well enough to make you care about anybody in it, which even a spoof should do.