Black Dynamite, this movie is hilarious…..
…assuming you have an immature sense of humor like I do. If you do this movie will have you in stitches, especially if you’re a martial arts movie fan who enjoys something a little different.
Despite his usual bad ass persona Michael Jai White he really delivers in this comedic role! He plays Black Dynamite, the baddest dude in town. He is a former CIA agent and Vietnam Vet, who apparently is the top and most unstoppable kung fu guy in the world.
When his brother Jimmy is killed, Black Dynamite is forced to get back on the streets and find the people who killed him, while also stopping drugs from being sold to kids (in particular the orphans!) and stop an international conspiracy that has the worlds most powerful men out to ‘make the black man not so big anymore’.
The 70’s Kung Fu flick reborn!
This movie has been shot to look rather ordinary and have an authentic 1970’s feel to it. They’ve inter-cut footage form actual 70’s movies and even used outdated filming techniques to get the visual look they want.
But there’s more to this then the look of the film, it has that 1970’s feel to it in the performances themselves. Black Dynamite has a bit of the Jim Kelly (Williams from Enter the Dragon) look to him – the Aphro, the attitude and that fact that he is the baddest ‘sucka’ in town. Only he is much more built.
Everyone in this movie is just a ‘Jive Turkey’ waiting to be taken out by Black Dynamite. With Michael Jai White’s extensive martial arts background, the action is very authentic and he even has the old 70’s karate strikes and screams – once again, very similar to Jim Kelly.
Not only is this movie about the 70’s look, but it’s about the dodgy & cheap portion of the 70’s look.
In one scene Black Dynamite is giving one of his bad ass speeches with a boom mike hanging right in front of his face. He even looks at it! Some of the fight scenes have different people purposely cut into them to give that fake look to it.
The character design backs up the 70’s vibe and is right on point. Black dynamite has the style of an African American Bruce Lee. The shirt comes off and the look is so close to Bruce just with a massively built guy who has an aphro.
He trains at home, using tactics that would border on homicidal toward his training partners but this is all interrupted when he receives a phone call from his Aunt, telling him his brother is dead. The mannerisms and ridiculous nature of this conversation alone makes the movie worth watching.
The most subtle things can also be found in this film such as the music playing at Jimmy’s funeral with the lyrics “I can’t believe my brother passed awaaayyy…!”
They’ve managed to create a comedy which uses many different levels of delivery and gives the movie a really full feeling.
The Scale Just Keeps Getting Bigger (some spoilers)
What starts out as a movie set locally in a small town for the first half or so of the movie, continues to grow in scale.
As things get more serious, the problem becomes deeper than the original revenge plot. Black Dynamite and his crew are forced to head to Kung Fu Island to face a group of Kung Fu henchmen and their master. The ridiculousness ensures before Black Dynamite ends up landing right in Washington.
As it turns out President Richard Nixon is trying to shrink the penises of African Americans through his ‘Anaconda Juice’ he’s been selling to black communities.
Bloody Nixon.
This of course leads to showdown in the Whitehouse where Black Dynamite parachutes into before he and Richard Nixon have a Kung Fu battle to the bitter end. You know, that old chest nut.
The Action and Martial Arts (Ok, it’s safe now, no spoilers)
The action is not hugely exciting but still amazing in performance. Michael Jai White really manages to show off his abilities in a way which matches the tone of the film (being a comedy) but still has it looking impressive with his decades of training.
The loud ‘snappy’ impact noises at the end of each kick or punch really remind me of the classics. This movie is as 70’s martial arts flick as you can get, with many people actually thinking this was shot in the 70’s.
Michael Jai White shows a strong Karate Style mostly in this film, despite calling it Kung Fu. Fists are often drawn from the hip and the general movement is very Karate like. Considering it is his ‘base style’ it makes perfect sense, but is still refreshing after the more MMA style he displays in his movies.
In a funny twist, some of the fighters in the movie are horrible. But this is totally deliberate and quite effective! They stand in ridiculous poses that really make it obvious they aren’t trained, but this all ties in with the comedy.
The general feel of the action is more a technical display mixed with physical humor that really serves the comedy well. It is not hugely exciting but it’s still very entertaining.
Would I recommend it?
I would, but I don’t expect everyone to like it. This movie is very stylised and unique and can be highly appreciated by the right person viewing it, but highly offensive and ‘toilet humorish’ to others. Either way if you’re a Michael Jai White fan have a look and see what you think! I loved it!
Find it on Blu-Ray
Only on Region A (US & Canada)
Black Dynamite on Blu-ray
On DVD –
Region 1 (US & Canada)
Black Dynamite on DVD
Region 2 (UK, Europe, etc)
Black Dynamite on DVD
Region 4 (Australia, New Zealand, etc)
Black Dynamite on DVD