“Black Dynamite” (2009) starring Michael Jai White / Z-View

Black Dynamite (2009)

Director:  Scott Sanders

Screenplay: Michael Jai White, Scott Sanders, Byron Minns, story by Michael Jai White, Byron Minns

Stars: Michael Jai White, Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson, Phyllis Applegate, Obba Babatundé, William Bassett and Mykelti Williamson.

Tagline:  He’s super bad, he’s outta sight. He’s Black Dynamite.

The Plot…

Black Dynamite (White) is a Viet Nam vet, fung fu expert, ex-CIA, love machine.  He’s a mean muther —  I’m just talking about Black Dynamite.  When Black Dynamite’s brother is killed, evidence leads to an organization that is providing heroin to black orphanages, and poisoning malt liquor headed for the ghetto.  The CIA reinstate Black Dynamite so he can make those muthers pay.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Black Dynamite is a love letter to the low-budget blaxploitation movies of the early 1970s.  It definitely captured the look, sound and feel of those films.  We get split screen, slow-motion, boom mic errors, jump cuts, bad dialogue and music that take us back to those wonderful days of one cool cat willing and able to take down the man in between loving the ladies.

Kudos to Michael Jai White for not only playing the lead, but coming up with the idea and hitting the right mix of homage and parody.

Black Dynamite (2009) rates 4 of 5 stars.