Black Dynamite
Tags: murder, cult, violence, flashback, clever, comic, revenge, entertaining, blaxploitation

Plot synopsis:
In the 1970s, Black Dynamite, a Vietnam War veteran and former CIA officer, vows to clean up the streets of drug dealers and gangsters after his younger brother Jimmy is killed by a shady organization. O'Leary, Black Dynamite's former army and CIA partner, reinstates him into the agency because they do not want him seeking vengeance by himself. While trying to get to the bottom of Jimmy's murder, he finds out that his brother was actually working undercover for the CIA. Black Dynamite also discovers the shady organization is filling the black orphanages with heroin. He declares war on local drug dealers and successfully cleans up the streets, getting him the affection of Gloria, a black power activist who works at the local orphanage.
After discovering the government's involvement in the drug ring, Black Dynamite steals the ledger belonging to corrupt Congressman James which details illegal shipments to a warehouse. Black Dynamite and his team (consisting of close friend Bullhorn, street hustler Cream Corn, militant leader Saheed, and two militants) storm the warehouse to capture a big shipment. They learn of a top secret operation called "Code Kansas", but there are no drugs in the warehouse; only "Anaconda" brand malt liquor, a government-produced brand that, according to the advertising slogan, "Gives You Ooooooo!". In a diner, they decipher the slogan and uncover "Code Kansas" as a plan to literally emasculate African-American men through Anaconda Malt Liquor, which is formulated to "give (you) a little dick". The militant Gunsmoke, who has fallen victim to the liquor's effect, is killed to put him out of his misery. Returning to the warehouse, Black Dynamite finds O'Leary is part of the evil plan, but is just following orders. He kills O'Leary before acquiring his next lead to find the source of the "Code Kansas" plan.
Black Dynamite heads to Kung Fu Island, where he discovers that his old nemesis, Fiendish Dr. Wu, is responsible for creating the secret formula found in Anaconda Malt Liquor. In a protracted battle which kills Saheed, the two militants, and Bullhorn, Black Dynamite discovers the true identity of the mastermind of the entire operation - the White House.
Black Dynamite then travels to the White House (in the process, Cream Corn is killed by the secret service) and confronts President Richard Nixon, who has been giving the orders from the beginning. When Black Dynamite defeats Nixon in a kung-fu battle and threatens to expose Nixon as the subject of a series of bondage and cross dressing photographs, the president begs to be killed but Black Dynamite refuses and has Nixon watch out for his people. The film concludes with a monologue from Black Dynamite on his quest for justice as Gloria and Pat Nixon watch on rapturously.

Review: During the fight scenes, Michael jai white's kung fu yell is a spot on impersonation of Jim Kelly's (he of Enter the Dragon fame).Like all the best spoofs, all the actors play it completely straight.
There is an actual story (convoluted and non-sensical but it's there, and even allows long scenes that advance the plot to unfold without a single obvious joke), there are real characters (over-the-top and cliché' but not two-dimensional walking cardboards) and there are action/fighting scenes (enhanced via the same seamless green screen/CG technology used in "Kung-Pow" a few years back) that make this an actual blaxpoitation movie that just happens to be funny because it's being so true and respectful to the genre it represents.
Paying homage to such great films as Shaft, Dolemite, Coffy, and more.The movie centers around Black Dynamite, an ex-C.I.A. Agent / Vietnam Vet / Kung-Fu Master / Pimp / Everyday Bad Ass, who is pulled back in the game when the mob kills his brother and puts the dope on the streets.
Black Dynamite must take his fight from the streets all the way to the top, even if that means taking on The Man himself in the white halls of the Honky House.The film is not only an homage to the stories and themes of blaxploitation films, but also how they where made and the culture behind the genre in a whole.
A good example of this is a scene early on in the film where Black Dynamite is giving a long monologue and a boom mic pops in the shot just above his head.
The majority of films today wish they had a soundtrack half as good as Black Dynamite.If you enjoy the exploitation films of the 70's or movies like Army of Darkness and Grindhouse you're going to love this movie.
I tremendously enjoyed other blaxploitation films such as Jackie Brown(1997), Shaft(1971), Superfly(1972), Coffey(1973), I'm Gonna Git You Sucka(1988), etc, so I eagerly anticipated Black Dynamite when I saw the trailer early last year, and boy did it deliver!.
While recent spoofs have focused on mimicking familiar film scenes or ripping off celebrities with the idiocy of a 10-year-old boy, Black Dynamite is a nostalgic throwback that simultaneously recreates and celebrates the trademarks of the 1970s blaxploitation genre - the jive pimps in garish outfits, the evil politicians, a funky R&B soundtrack, and dialogue laced with expletives, peculiar slang and ethnic slurs.
and its brethren.Michael Jai White plays the titular character of Black Dynamite; a muscular badass with a lot of guns, an expertise in kung fu and a knack for getting women into bed (or anywhere else that suits him).
Not many young comedy fans would be familiar with anything like In Like Flint, but that didn't prevent Austin Powers from becoming an extremely popular franchise.Black Dynamite looks spot-on; as if it were an honest-to-goodness blaxploitation picture that has been sitting in a vault for over thirty years.
'70s blaxploitation pictures were low-budget affairs often made without a great deal of technical skill, and Black Dynamite recreates this film-making incompetency with astonishing, hilarious accuracy.
Shot on era-appropriate stock with matching wardrobe, hairstyles (oh, the hair in this movie), transportation and window dressings, if I didn't know any better I'd have sworn it was an authentic gem from the heyday of "Sweet Sweetback" and "Superfly TNT." Despite paying homage to an era that wasn't exactly known for its realistic portrayal of the world, Black Dynamite somehow manages to be even campier than its forefathers, to great effect.
About an ex soldier fighting to win back his neighbourhood from a powerful drug-lord, the film set about stereotyping and spoofing old classics such as Shaft.This film works on much the same level but is 100% faithful to the classic genre and so perfectly produced, I'd say it's the best Grindhouse Cinema comeback film made, even over the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez films that restarted the genre.Starring Michael Jai White, who should have been an unrivalled star long before now - Spawn, Universal Soldier 2, The Dark Knight, Blood and Bone - this 70's exploitation comedy mixes racist Afro-American culture stereotypes with outrageous humour, White's outstanding martial arts abilities with absurdly comic gunfights and perfects it with a seamless orchestral soul and funk soundtrack and grindhouse cinema look.Throw in a thousand sexual innuendos, jive-talking one liners, well-placed unedited bloopers and inconsistencies and references to stereotypical black American culture and what you have is a seemingly genuine blaxpoitation film that will have you in hysterics.Black Dynamite is an ex-soldier ex-CIA agent who discovers his brother has been murdered and is coerced into working with the CIA again to get to the bottom of the crime.
But pulling together his old street brothers, all the while trying to romance a charity worker/political protester, he discovers that the CIA and the government are in fact working under the cover of darkness to keep the black man down.The scene goes from street level, to the hills and the shores of LA, to a secret location known as Kung Fu Island and finally to the White House in the funniest comedy I've seen my entire life.Michael Jai White is perfect in the lead role, counting on his maturity, physical prowess and comic ability and timing.
It's a brilliantly funny part of the movie.Michael Jai White pulls off his best performance to date in "Black Dynamite." I reviewed White's good but not great Bone and Blood and mused what White could do with a more sensational role.
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).
'Black Dynamite' is a satire combining elements of martial arts films along with movies featuring a strong black lead character such as 'Shaft.' The story follows Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White) as he searches for the man who murdered his brother, pursues a love interest, and discovers a government plot to bring down the black man.
Prior to this movie he starred in 'Spawn' and a few low budget action films, but I think that 'Black Dynamite' is what ultimately solidified his status as a respected actor/writer even with the movie's lack of financial success.Despite his numerous contributions to the movie, Michael Jai White does not completely steal the show.
'Black Dynamite' is full of well known actors including Tommy Davidson, Aresnio Hall, Nicole Sullavin, and Mykelti Williamson who played Bubba Blue in 'Forest Gump.' The supporting characters, dawning names like Creamed Corn, Chicago Wind, Bullhorn, and Tasty Freeze all have their own personalities and quirks thus adding dimension to this retro movie satire.
The mystery of his brothers murder goes beyond his immediate past as Black Dynamite must jump, punch, and kick (simultaneously) against an evil foe from his past.The most wonderful and most brilliant aspects of this film have to be the writing and the acting which are more than perfect for this movie.
The performers all understand the particular style of acting involved, and relish the stilted phrasing and self-conscious speech patterns they are emulating.Michael Jai White is just great as Black Dynamite, the best Vietnam vet kung fu expert the CIA ever had.
One of the genres which seem the most easy to parody is the "blaxploitation", because its exuberant "afros", heroic macho postures and "funky" music from the 70's now seem anachronistic and even innocent.However, those elements are not enough to make a tribute to that iconic cinematographic style; besides of its stylish details, there is a distinct but difficult to precise "taste"...it may be the indubitable racial pride from its stoic heroes; or the tacit message that the White Man ("whitey") will always press the black race for fear to the potential it could get if it had authentic freedom; or maybe it is the absence of cynicism what magically becomes this simple stories into the purest distillation of "cool" I have seen on screen.I think the film Balck Dynamite captures that "taste" pretty well, at the same time it is very entertaining; however, some of the humor from it does not work very well.I suppose that the comparisons between Black Dynamite and the excellent Undercover Brother will be unavoidable, because they do not only walk on the same stylish field, but their stories also have elements in common.However, there is a fundamental difference: Undercover Brother is a caricature of the "blaxploitation" cinema which appropriately exaggerates every detail from the genre, while Black Dynamite is a very competent action film which occasionally has unnecessary humor on the screenplay.Do not misunderstand me...Balck Dynamite certainly made me laugh because of its correct mockery of the clichés established on classic movies such as Shaft (1971), Foxy Brown and Superfly; however, there are other occasions in which the humor feels out of place (Was it necessary to show the ghost of Abraham Lincoln?).Anyway, I liked this movie pretty much, specially thanks to the presence in the leading role of actor Michael Jai White, whose overflowing charisma, histrionic talent and genuine ability for the martial arts (those who have seen his "lost scenes" in Kill Bill 2 will perfectly know what I am talking about) should make him to work on more movies.I think that (if we do not count his short role on The Dark Knight), the most famous movie he has been involved in is the mediocre Spawn, where he did not have the opportunity to show his dramatic ability.I hope that his perfect development in Black Dynamite will open more doors in the career of this talented but underrated actor.In the supporting cast, we have Arsenio Hall and the brilliant character actors Bookem Woodbine, Phil Morris and Tucker Smallwood bringing energetic and credible performances.And the fans of Pam Grier's will be impressed by Sally Richardson, who seems a worthy successor of the feminist and racial icon director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino made a tribute to in Jackie Brown.Black Dynamite is not a great film, but I enjoyed it pretty much, so I recommend it with confidence..
Loving parody of '70s blaxploitation flicks starring tough guy Michael Jai White as a Shaft-like superstud, Vietnam vet, ex-CIA crimefighter named Black Dynamite.
When his brother is mysteriously killed, former CIA operative Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White) hits the streets for answers.Eventually, the trail leads to the government, and their plan to add a chemical to a new brand of malt liquor that will shrink the junk of every African-American man.
But Black Dynamite and his crew (Tommy Davidson, Phil Morris, Byron Minns) are unprepared for the real perpetrator behind this cultural shriveling - a cross-dressing President Richard Nixon.Outlandish as it is hilarious, this salute to 1970s Kung Fu and blaxploitation movies pays homage to the much-maligned genres while lampooning both to a T.Besides, if US genital size decreases, America will no longer be a threat to China.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca.
Don't interrupt me when I am doing my Kung Fu. The parody genre is one that has sadly fizzled out with movies like "Date Movie", "Meet the Spartans", "Superhero Movie", and the recent "Stan Hellsing." Thank God that director Scott Sanders has come back from his ten year hiatus to give us the parody film "Black Dynamite." Taking all the things that were great about the "Dolemite" movies and flicks such as "Superfly" and then mixing it with the intelligent comedy of "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka." "Black Dynamite" is a parody done right.
Comedy!But not just in dark and or black humor, but in intelligent and deliberate mistakes in the editing and many other aspects of the film that just add so much charm.The original musical score is a real standout, timing is perfect and the actors where perfectly chosen to suit the roles.If there is anything i can criticize this movie about was its fatal lack of advertising and very limited release.This movie has a wide audience appeal among adults and even late teen ages Dust off your afro and headband on and prepare for a solid ride through the 70's, a flawless grind house spoof.4 1/2 stars out of 5.
When Michael Jai Whites character Black Dynamite used his very powerful Martial skills to fight against other powerful guys who he didn't like and annoyed him, it was awesome to watch because the power of those kicks, punches, grapples etc were absolutely brilliant.
I really like Michael Jai White and have never seen him do comedy before, but if this is an example of his best comical work, I'd respectfully suggest he stay with the action genre.I just can't really see the point of homaging 70's blaxploitation films, by making an exact copy in all respects.
And I was more than genuinely surprised with seeing Michael Jai White in the lead role, but he did this phenomenally well, and this really is a great achievement in his belt of movie performances.If you haven't already seen "Black Dynamite", then I can strongly suggest that you take the time to do so, should you be given the chance.
Michael Jai White's creation Black Dynamite is the best satire of the blaxsploitation genre and one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in recent memory.
As someone who loves this kind of film, Black Dynamite is by far the best satire or spoof of the genre.
And personally, I think that BD completes its mission even more successfully, because there is so much going on in virtually every scene, that this demands several more viewings before you catch all the sight gags, double-entendres and intentionally bad dialogue AND acting.Hatched from the twisted minds of director Scott Sanders, actor/writer Byron Minns and most significantly, actor/writer/stunt performer Michael Jai White - "BLACK DYNAMITE hizself!" - this is the jam-packed, titty-stacked, pimp-smacked tale of what happens when BD's wayward brother, Reggie, is murdered in cold blood by "Da Man!" It only LOOKS like a hit done by fellow drug dealers, but it's up to Our Hero to find out who is flooding the ghetto streets with junk and malt liquor that makes you go "Woooooooo!", save the kids from a life of drugs and violence, avenge his brother's murder and take down "Da Man" - who, of course, we know is behind it all.The most remarkable thing about this note-perfect satire is that it gets everything RIGHT.
The one liners are also great in this and I liked Michael Jai White's presence in some of his movies but he is really great with his role in this and hilarious to watch, including the fight scenes.
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.
Michael Jai White plays Black Dynamite, an action hero intent on cleaning up the ghetto, keeping smack out of the orphanages and taking it to the man, in the funniest film of the year.
Nevertheless, Black Dynamite plays up the cheesiness just right creating a heavily quotable and all around great watch.My only problem is that there is one unavoidable problem when it comes to a film like this.
Michael Jai White is good looking, can movie fight, and looks like an action hero so the whole concept of a spoof of the blacksploitation genre is gone right there because he looks as good or better than any of the originals (superfly, dolemite, hammer, or 3 the hard way).
There's not one scene in this film that isn't at least funny or amusing, and there are many where it is gut-bustingly hilarious.Some of this is just simply credited to Michael Jai White, an actor who I never thought would be one to be adept at comedy (he also was co-writer), who channels the spirit of Rudy Ray Moore to a tee while creating his own iconic 'mofo' whose reputation precedes him everywhere he goes- including when he just goes to a park and a two kids come up to him: "Black Dynamite, you're my Daddy" "Yeah, me too, that's what Mommy said." "Oh no, there's someone else named that..." He is a big comedic stroke of genius here, but everyone around him gets the tone down so well.
Michael Jai White is Black Dynamite, a former government agent now neighborhood enforcer out for revenge when finds out his brother has been killed by The Man. That's the premise of this movie and that's all you really need to know.
As both a tribute to and spoof of the Blaxploitation genre, Black Dynamite is pitch perfect, but also a fun story in its own right.
. .Yeah, it's the greatest spoof I've ever seen.A send-up of '70s blaxploitation, "Black Dynamite" takes all of the clichés of the genre and pays loving homage to the extreme.
Hillarious parody of Blaxploitation movies from 60s and 70s.Michael Jai White stars as Black Dynamite.
Well, I tell you, just like "The Man" tells Black Dynamite at the climax confrontation: "there's a perfect, reasonable explanation".By now, you're probably familiar with the fact that BD spoofs the blaxploitation movies, in a similar way Airplane did with the disaster films.