I have always maintained that if you are gonna 'spoof' something or mimic an era you can't be timid. You have to go 'full retard' as the kids say. Thankfully the creators of 'Black Dynamite' decided to do everything they could to both honor and lampoon the era of the 'blacksploitation' pictures of the 1970s. Most often made on the cheap, these 'grindhouse' features had to make up for the lack of money with over the top antics, fashions, fight scenes and experimental photography. Everything that made those movie fun is replicated here.
Michael Jai White (yes the same guy who played Spawn) is totally unrecognizable as our hero, the badass mofo Black Dynamite, the man all the ladies love and all the men would love to be. I knew from the opening malt liquor commercial and 'jive turkey' dialogue that I would love this movie. Everything is perfect from the 70s fashions to garage sale furniture/lighting to the love of Bruce Lee inspired Kung Fu culture. Add to that the period music, jumpy camera work and slightly 'off' editing style and you got a gem of a feature that reminds us of all about what we love about a time long past.
The plot is irrelevant but involves revenge for the death of Black Dynamite's brother and a new drug being pumped onto the streets by 'the man'. The acting is deliberately bad but done by professionals who know the difference between satire and irony. You will recognize a bunch of black character actors and some more famous faces. This was truly a work of love in the black community. The direction is tight and just grabs you from the beginning. I remember thinking that this is exactly the way I want Danny Trejo's 'Machete' to come out.
White Cop - "The old pie in the windowsill trick. I can't believe I feel for that. That was the same trap you used in 'Nam to save my ass." (Think about that for a second then laugh you ass off) Yeh, Black Dynamite's got issues from the war and guilt over promising his dying momma to look out for his now dead brother. Motivation? HELL YEH.
I really love the monologues about everything that makes Black Dynamite hurt by the star himself. They show up to put a hold on the action but to also remind us of any plot points we may have forgotten from five minutes earlier. Perfect writing.
"I know I was the best CIA agent that the CIA ever had. But I thought I told you honkies from the CIA that Black Dynamite was out of the game." GOLD!
This movie hit me right when I needed something fresh and funny to watch. The only thing I regret is not having a fellow movie fan next to me to catch all the inside jokes.
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5 comments:
Sounds like a fun flick! Never heard of it til now. :)
Now that is kickass.
'I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka'
Thanks for the reminder. Seems like a year since I first heard about this. Just saw it and it lived up to its hype--best dead-on genre parody I've ever seen! I used to hang out in downtown Cincy as a teen so I saw all the kung-fu and blaxploitation films that played at the downtown theaters. This is both nostalgic and a nostalgia-killer, both of which make it hilarious. I want to see more like this from Michael Jai White now!!
He had a alot to do with the writing of the movie and getting it made. I love that fact that if you can't get hired then you make your own opportunities. This film is just ripe for sequels - 'Black Dynamite in Africa', 'Black Dynamite on the Moon'...the possibilities are endless. I agree with you, THIS is how you make a parody. And for people like Lisa who says I don't like parody films. I don't like BAD parody films and this movie proves my point.
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