Hilarious send-up of 70’s Blaxploitation films written, produced by and starring Michael Jai White (Spawn (1997), The Dark Knight (2008)) as the heroic, almost comic book superman protector and occasional stand-in pimp of his Nixon-era community. It might appear to be just another spoof but upon close inspection you’ll find it’s a work of art as the recreated clichés of 70’s micro-budget filmmaking give White an excuse to neo-stylize from within the context of the genre. Like the Italians did with realism after World War II, White in trying to find comedy in the techniques of the past invigorates film structure and style better than the best of current Hollywood. And it’s all disguised with humor.

Sure, it’s all a joke, one joke after another, some clobbering the mark, some falling flat but even the flat ones are funny because of execution. The way to those jokes finds White using all the accoutrements of filmmakers from that era such as camera lenses zooming in and out, most of which stutter in accuracy as if the assistant cameraman lost pace with the focus while zooming and focusing at the same time; not so subtle boom mics causing the actor to be self conscious of the set surroundings; and jump cuts in the editing while in chase or fight scenes; discontinuity with actors’ lines, costuming, and make-up are just some of the other parts of “style” being created here. It’s a joy to watch all these created mistakes and most are funnier bits of parody than the Wayans’ Scary Movie films. Having Tommy Davidson as one of the stars helps conjure up the Wayans too, especially In Living Color (TV, 1990-1994) which in turn brings to mind Keenan Wayans’ I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), a parody that poked fun of the genre but went way over the top in its high key lit comedic attempt like any other comedy of the 80s. Dynamite recognizes that and for a more resonating exploit chooses deeper cuts from actual 70’s films to parody and film stock with as much grain as White has muscle.
 

Story: Black Dynamite’s younger brother Jimmy is slain and Dynamite has only a bullet as a clue to the killer, or killers (the prop joke here is that the bullet is a .50 caliber rifle shell and we see Jimmy is clearly killed with hand guns). That bullet is key to Dynamite’s journey through the film conducting detective Q & A of the town’s principle players, particularly Cream Corn played by Davidson, Chicago Wind played by Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump, Three Kings), and O’Leary played by Kevin Chapman (Rescue Me, Brotherhood) who is head of CIA, or FBI, or chief of Police, I’m really not sure—all of these guys are great character actors from TV and big screen by the way— the names here like corn and wind emblematic of the kind of nonstop jokes we get over and over again. O’Leary hands Dynamite a CIA badge that literally reads “license to kill.” Taking out a few guys from time to time with nothing but his fists and his nunchucks is easy. Black Dynamite gives us a little kung fu action like we’d see in a Bruce Lee movie, like in Game of Death (1978) where White even looks like a muscular Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or a Fred Williamson or Max Julien from The Mack (1973), or Jim Brown yet it’s never too serious. His moves are skillfully choreographed but White retains a comedic, almost robotic halt to every move, and blinking his eyes whilst nunchucking as if it’s a near epileptic fit. Just enough to let you know he’s not as perfect as he talks himself up to be which is a great character trait.

Eventually Dynamite discovers the MAN responsible for his brother’s death. Turns out this very high status Man from a very high position is trying to take out the men of Dynamite’s community in a big, or should I say little, way. The film works toward a very climactic moment that is a big, or should I say little, reveal sure to put you in stitches with laughter. The thing is, all that zooming builds slowly to this pivotal joke and it has to be said that without the filmmaking tactics White uses from those earlier films some of these jokes, as funny as they are, wouldn’t be as successful as they finally are. I guess that’s a given.

The way White structures the movie, with some of the best flashbacks and time-sequence montage moments I’ve ever seen (there should be an Oscar for best montage and Black Dynamite would get it, along with Costume Design) coupled with what looks like real stock footage from the 70s (it is, taken from actual 70’s films and pilots) and the pauses he takes to develop jokes, specifically a diner scene where the guys deduce by crazy Greek mythological deduction the plot to deflate the men of the community, it is actually a well told story utilizing a clever design. All comedy aside, take the blueprint of this plot and attach it to a big budget celebrity cast with a dramatic tone and you have a critically acclaimed film like In The Heat of the Night (1967), or even History of Violence (2005).
I love this dude, and I want to see more of Black Dynamite. I see franchise written all over it. It reminded me of the Broken Lizard work, the guys behind Super Troopers (2001), Beerfest (2006), Club Dread (2004), and one that White worked in from this year called The Slammin’ Salmon. There are a lot of similarities there in the way these guys deconstruct a genre and then build it back up with comedic fortitude. But I have to say that because White is focused on getting laughs it takes a lot of pressure off of the filmmaking allowing him to have fun with it, to experiment. It’s that kind of freedom of form that makes the film a winner. And if you see or have seen Where the Wild Things Are you’ll know that Dynamite is nothing but fun. You get a sense that White and the cast were having fun and therefore the audience has fun. Another important ingredient to good filmmaking as far as I’m concerned.

Best scene: Black Dynamite drops off his soon to be girlfriend at Honeybee’s whorehouse. While distilling the long-worded poetic soliloquy of his best intentions for the girl, and his city against “the new smack,” a former girlfriend interrupts his dialog and tries to finish his sentence, having heard it all before. When she does this, Black Dynamite reacts with an uncharacteristically childish response and with such a verbal assault that it just had me cackling out loud. In a theater with two other people, mind you. Too, the strength of comedy here stands on its own merits without the support of an excited, energized audience (though I’m sure it’s ten times more fun to see with a laughing crowd).

Granted, like many parody films this one isn’t for everyone. But if you like any of what’s been mentioned here, in terms of the genre, the spoof, the filmmaking, then you’re sure to like the film. Can you dig it? I knew that you could.

Rated R for nudity, language and violence. With a running time of 90 minutes. Also stars Arsenio Hall, Brian McKnight, Bokeem Woodbine, Cedric Yarbrough, and Nicole Sullivan, among others.

Read interviews with Director Scott Sanders and White at imdb.com , at Chud.com , and video of Sanders here .