Black Dynamite

A couple of evenings ago I was rummaging around on Youtube, trying to find something I felt like watching, and that's when I tripped across a scene from the movie Black Dynamite. I originally thought it was an old blaxploitation movie from back in the day, but to my surprise it was made in 2009. Intrigued, I sat down and watched it.

For those of you who are unaware of what blaxploitation is, here is what you get if you Google the term:

“Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, then president of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood NAACP branch.”

Now that that's out of the way we can talk about Black Dynamite. This movie is both a parody of, and a love letter to the genre as a whole. It also spoofs the kung-fu movies of the 70's as well as the whole cheaply made action cinema of the time. It in no way takes itself seriously and it must have been a blast to work on. They even intentionally do things like show the boom mic, change stuntmen in the middle of a fight, and a woman smokes a cigarette that is clearly not lit. There is even a scene where a guy looks back while driving and the rear projection shows him driving through an S curve perfectly. It becomes a thing in itself to find all the intentional goofs.

The dialogue is also hilariously bad, with lines like:

“Your knowledge of scientific biological transmogrification is only outmatched by your zest for kung-fu treachery!” or “I'd like to take the credit, but dig, mama, there's no "i" in "revolutio...", in "team.” or “These children are orphans, and orphans don't have parents!"

Black Dynamite is directed by Scott Sanders and stars Michael Jai White as Black Dynamite. White is also one of the screenwriters. His character Black Dynamite is the epitome of the badass superman. He can kick anyone's ass, and his revolver never runs out of ammo. All the women want him and his enemies fear him above all else. In a non-satire movie the character would be impossibly bad, but here it is perfect.

Having Michael Jai White in a martial arts role is always a treat as the man is ridiculously good at it. Watching him move is a treat just by itself, but we also get evidence that he can pull off a comedic role, which is something many action stars struggle with.

I won't mention the plot as I don't want to spoil anything, besides Black Dynamite is as much an experience as a story. Speaking of experience, I have often lamented that modern movies can't capture an era as long as the viewer can personally remember it. This movie does something interesting however. It adds a film grain effect over the whole thing, that together with the period cars and clothes, really makes it feel like the 70's. This is why I thought the clip I saw was from a genuine period blaxploitation movie. It's brilliant in its simplicity.

So, do I recommend the movie? Yes. Absolutely yes. Any comedy fan ought to like it, especially if you like spoofs like Scary Movie and Not Another Teen Movie. Black Dynamite is rude, raunchy and completely unapologetic. I had a blast and should you choose to watch it, I hope you will too.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great and safe week!