Black Dynamite

Blaxploitation films hold a special place in the annals of cinema. They came to prominence in the 1970's and were specifically made for a black, urban audience. They weren't designed to be high concept films. They were there to provide starring vehicles for black actors and provide films that more closely spoke to that audience. They are quite a few that transcended that label though and became hits an staples of the cultural vernacular- the most prominent example being the 1972 film Shaft. The genre influenced many people currently in Hollywood and some of the familiar trademarks of that genre have seeped into modern cinema. Michael Jai White felt that the time was right to pay homage to the films of the 70's so he sat down with an idea and some friends and wrote the screenplay for the film Black Dynamite.

The story here is a simple one. Black Dynamite is a Vietnam War veteran and he vows to clean up the drug use in his town when his brother Jimmy is gunned down by drug runners. he first seeks the help of the CIA but they want to try and reign him in and prevent massive bloodshed and Dynamite finds out that his brother was actually an undercover spy for the CIA. In his investigation he finds out as well that drug dealers are running those drugs into the local orphanages filled with young black children. From there the plot, as it does in most of these films, spirals into a massive quagmire of twists and turns. Some make sense, some are just silly- but that's part of the fun.

The government is in on this all. Dynamite and his gang of helpers (including the hilarious Tommy Davidson as Cream Corn) intercept what they think is a big heroin shipment but they only find crates of malt liquor. They happily remove the liquor but are confused about what this malt liquor means. This leads to an absolutely hilarious scene at a chicken and waffle restaurant where the gang spend minutes uncovering what this plot all means. And I mean it's hilarious. The connections are increasingly absurd and by the end it just makes enough sense to be semi-plausible.

Outside of the dialogue there are some incredibly amusing nods to the style of film from the 70's. At one point the one actor reads the stage directions along with their line. There is a boom mic that pops into frame at one point. That filming style too- it's not what any film student would ever be taught. The camera is jittery often throughout the film. The camera's focus is always on the action but it shifts left to right throughout the film to the point where you're eyes have to follow the camera as opposed to a still shot where you can explore the images on screen.

Acting wise it is clear that the people here are having fun. White apparently had viewing parties for these types of films and it shows in his performance. He embraces the campiness of these films and the style of reciting lines. It carries a stilted but confident air every time he speaks.That is necessary when you are saying lines like this: "The worst thing about these dealers getting children addicted to this new smack, is that these children are ORPHANS…. And orphans don’t have parents." Or this line: "You can hit the streets or the sheets, it don’t make me no nevermind. That’s your bag, baby. You can go or you can come, can you dig it?" If those lines weren't played for laughs it would be way too earnest and thus out of place in this type of film. Davidson is great in his small role as are Arsenio Hall and Phil Morris. The women don't have much to do here but that is par for the course with these films. However, Salli Richardson does do well in the lead female role.

This film isn't high art by any stretch of the imagination, but that's not it's intention. It's meant to be a throwback type of film for some, and an introduction for others. As it is, it works well as a standalone film and it is a great way to spend 90 minutes of your time.