Rent Black Dynamite (2009)

Black Dynamite blows all other parodies out of the water, sucka! - Black Dynamite review by Strovey

In an age proliferated with so many ‘pastiche’ and comedy versions of genuine films an genres a lot of film-goers might feel they will never laugh at another ‘satire’ again. Airplane! started it all with a spot-on, occasional miss, ‘zany’ comedy riffing on many films and genres. Then the goose that laid the golden egg was not only slaughtered but minced, fried and feed to ravenous pigs. Most of us have hardly laughed since at the hilarious ‘take-offs’.

Black Dynamite directed by Scott Sanders, albeit from nine-years ago, gets all of this back on track with loving, spot-on and hilarious tribute the glorious Blaxploitation phenomena of the seventies.

It is clear to see on the screen how much Sanders and his collaborators loves and admires those at times preposterous films. It is all there, this is not mean-spirited in the fun, whilst taking the proverbial throughout this is a film that loves its source.

The boom mike makes a deliberate appearance during the shoot as it did so often in the 70s and with the perfectly shoot zoomed-in close-ups followed by the over-exaggarated facial expressions at times you would have thought you were watching a product of the 70s such is the skill and dedication shown in the making.

The film takes place in the 1970s, using the wild and somewhat strange fashions, all cranked up to ‘eleven’ and then it sirs in the language, slang, of the era adding in the low-budget errors, miscues and continuity errors, including a character hitting his head against the boom mike. My favourite was the stuntman who was replaced during a take after getting punched for real during a stunt fight. This is all framed with shaky close-ups, exposition in song, supporting actors appear out of nowhere the list is extensive and on the whole accurate.

The script by Michael Jai White, Byron Minns and Scott Sanders is pin-point accurate and is played entirely straight by the cast of (stalwart) supporting cast.

Black Dynamite is an underappreciated spot-on parody of a cheesy but needless to say important genre of films from the 70s.

Highly recommended you jive-ass suckas!

A brilliant, consistently funny & genuinely heartfelt tribute to the blaxploitation genre - Black Dynamite review by TB

Hugely recommended by a close friend, this is everything you could want from a film which satirises all of the most recognisable & funny clichés from not only the Blaxploitation genre, but other well-known movies of the 70's & 80's. But also, most importantly and why this film works, it also has a strong & humourous script behind it; it doesn't just take a series of stereotypes which people know, then coast along milking them for quick sniggers. There are consistent, genuinely funny moments.

Black Dynamite is a tough, no-nonsense ex-CIA agent & soldier. His brother is killed & framed as a drug dealer, forcing Dynamite to avenge his brother's death, as well as cleaning up the streets of drugs that are flooding into the neighborhood. He also joins forces with other members of the Black Power movement to "stick it to the Man."

For the vast majority of this movie, there is a genuine belly laugh every 30 seconds or so. From the (deliberately terrible) production values, including one scene where Dynamite stands up & hits his head on the boom mike, which stays in shot & he keeps looking up at whilst trying to deliver lines; through to the self-referential clichés which every film of that period had (one character lands on a dangerous island, then goes off on an impassioned spiel about how he's going to retire & be with his family, before the inevitable happens, followed by Dynamite's straight-faced punchline,) this delivers laugh after laugh after laugh.

But for me, the main thing I love about this film is just how clearly everyone making it reveres the genre which they are lovingly poking fun at: there is real heart & soul behind this movie. I could tell, after 5 minutes, just how much this genre & the multiple films made within it, meant to every single one of the actors, as well as the production team. So in a strange way, as much as it has as many laughs as a great comedy show, it also gives you a warm & sweet feeling inside.

A really good night in & an amazing tribute to the Blaxploitation genre.