Black Dynamite

USA, 2009

Director: Scott Sanders
Starring: Michael Jai White, Arsenio Hall, Buddy Lewis, Salli Richardson-Whitfield
IMDB: 7.7

Ever since Tarantino proclaimed his love for old school genre films with 1997's Jackie Brown, and then took it further with Kill Bill and Grindhouse, genre cinema has acquired a kind of retro chic (and bankability) that has brought it into mainstream respectability ... well relatively at least.

For movie lovers tired of the same old politically-correct, censored by consumer panel Hollywood bore-fests this can only be a good thing, because for one it means we get more hilariously twisted films like this.

Perhaps the reason for their popularity is the legitimate excuse it provides to do away with all political-correctness and get back to some good old-fashioned sub-wholesome fun. And that's exactly what we get here with Black Dynamite, a hilariously cheesy throwback to the golden era of 70s blaxploitation - complete with the requisite sexism, racism, macho posturing and kung fu!



Our titular hero, Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White), is a Vietnam vet turned pimp who provides his own unique brand of righteous street justice. Whether ensuring the hookers get paid, or ridding the neighborhood of drugs, he's got a heroic pose and classic one-liner for all occasions.



With his smooth 'fro, manly moustache and funky wardrobe its no wonder that he's a ladies man as well. He even preaches racial equality in his own special way, as seen in the screen shot below. ...



The attention to period detail is awesome ... from the fashion, to the decor and the music - it's all been meticulously crafted. Even the visuals and sound were created using period equipment or faked to resemble it.

And if you keep your eyes open you'll notice many gaffs typical of low-budget amateurish productions - like sound booms coming into view, fleeing criminals getting the car door stuck on the grass verge, or Dynamite himself abruptly changing direction so that the conveniently placed tray of eggs could be knocked over. Of course here the gaffs are entirely intentional.




The story here is a mashup of blaxploitation cliches, and really just a vehicle for the jokes and parody to operate within. In a nutshell, some jive turkey has killed Dynamite's brother and he needs to get to the bottom of a web of intrigue to find out who is responsible. A journey that takes him right to the very top as he discovers a diabolical conspiracy to keep the black brothers down, perpetuated of course by Whitey (aka The Man).




No cheesy 70's parody would be complete without the formulaic love interest, and here it is provided when Dynamite meets Gloria (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) - a sexy, afro-sporting political activist. But will Dynamite be able to coax her into his bedroom ?



While the movie drags slightly in the middle, it is laugh-out-loud funny and guarantees a great time with a bunch of mates and a crate of beer. The production values are excellent, and White's performance as Black Dynamite makes it seem he was born for the role.

Of special note is the superb soundtrack crafted by Adrian Younge that establishes a funky 70s vibe, and even features a few tracks custom written for the movie. Crank it up loud and immerse yourself in the 70's experience!

Black Dynamite is one of the best retro parodies I've seen, and a definite contender for comedy of the year. Can you dig it?

8/10. Highly recommended.

More Screen shots

Afro Samurai: Resurrection

USA/Japan 2009
Director: Fuminori Kizaki
Voices: Samuel L. Jackson, Lucy Liu, Mark Hamill
IMDB: 8.0

Afro Samurai is a great concept that made its first appearance on SpikeTV a few years back. Since then a mini-series was made, and this is the sequel to that. Although I haven't seen the first series, this did not seem to be a hindrance to understanding the plot.

Afro Samurai, voiced by Samuel L.Jackson, is an african-american dude with an outrageous afro and sideburns who looks like he's straight out of a 1970's blaxploitation movie. Sauntering around the place with a joint dangling from his mouth, he also has the stoic cool of a Japanese Samurai, striking appropriate samurai stances at every opportunity.

Unfortunately his arch-nemesis, Lady Sio (voiced by Lucy Liu) intends to bring him to justice for all the killing he did (presumably in the first series). She digs up his father's skull and with the aid of a mad-scientist re-animates and tortures him in order to draw Afro into a fight. In order to fight her however, Afro must first find and kill the holder of the #2 Headband... which will in turn give him the right to fight Lady Sio, as she is the holder of the #1 Headband.

My assumption is that this whole headband thing is a samurai code of honour and ranking system, likely explained in the first series.

The movie is an interesting blend of Japanese and African-American cultures ... the samurais sporting gold bling and a pumping rap soundtrack put together by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. Involving RZA on the soundtrack was a great idea, although he's certainly done better work. Still, this movie will give your sub a nice workout.

Although I've yet to become a fan of Japanese anime, I have to say that the artwork, created in Japan, was of a very high quality. The styling looks straight out of a graphic novel, with some amazing scenes and a very colourful palette.

While the story is fairly basic, the unique blend of cultures is a great idea, and often quite funny. Of course being a samurai movie it is also very violent, and the overall theme is thankfully adult in nature - even though I have only seen the tv edit. I look forward to seeing the unrated cut which apparently features a lot more sex and violence. The only letdown for me was the annoying side-character of Ninja Ninja, who had a propensity for spouting cliche jive talk bordering on the inane.

Its interesting to note that even though you don't see the voice actors in the flesh, they chose actors who could easily be cast in their roles if this was a live action movie. In fact, I hope they decide to do that. Samuel L Jackson and Lucy Liu facing off in an Afro Samurai Live Action epic would be awesome!


Rating: 7/10

Screenshots - click to enlarge