Black Dynamite may be two years too late to be a part of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse, but it’d be perfect for a triple feature. This is a pitch perfect homage/parody of the blaxploitation genre with plenty of nods to films like Dolemite, Shaft, and even Enter the Dragon.
Michael Jai White plays the titular Black Dynamite, a martial arts master, Vietnam veteran, former CIA agent, and all-around badass. White also co-wrote the script with director Scott Sanders and co-star Byron Minns who plays the sidekick, Bullhorn. When Black Dynamite learns that his brother, Jimmy (Baron Vaughn), has been murdered, he goes on a mission of revenge. He vows to clean up his neighborhood after meeting Gloria (Salli Richardson who looks the spitting image of Pam Grier), an activist who runs an orphanage whose kids have been strung out on drugs. Black Dynamite teams up with a black militia to take down drug dealers and mobsters. Along the way, they uncover a massive conspiracy to shrink the penises of black men with tainted malt liquor. Black Dynamite’s quest for vengeance takes him to jungles of Kung Fu Island and straight to the White House for a battle to the death with a nunchuck-wielding Richard Nixon (James McManus).
The rest of the supporting cast is filled with characters with colorful names like Tasty Freeze, Creamed Corn, Chocolate Giddy-Up and the Fiendish Dr. Wu.
Black Dynamite gleefully steeps itself in 70’s culture. Black Dynamite was shot in Super 16MM to give it a grainy, washed out look. Sanders intentionally adds in split-screens, jerky zooms, jump cuts, and a wayward boom mic to make the movie even more authentic. The acting is over-the-top with Jai White channeling Jim Kelly and Fred Williamson. The dialogue is similarly outrageous with lines like, ”You can bet your sweet ass and half a tittie…” and ”Your knowledge of scientific, biological transmogrifications is only outmatched by your zest for kung fu treachery.
Black Dynamite may not be as hilarious as I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, but it works on two levels as both a funny parody and a wicked action flick.
Rating: *** ½
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