Black Dynamite Review

Black Dynamite
Riffing off '70s Blaxploitation thrillers, Black Dynamite ("60,000 volts of black power") stars Michael Jai White as a ghetto hero going toe-to-toe with 'The Man' who is pumping heroin into local orphanages.

by Damon Wise |
Published on
Release Date:

13 Aug 2010

Running Time:

84 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Black Dynamite

Blaxploitation films have been satirised, notably in the sub-Airplane! spoof I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. But Black Dynamite is the real deal, a fast comedy that knows and loves its subject. Anchored by Michael Jai White’s superb display as the mean mofo cop brought out of retirement after his brother’s murder, this sharp skewering of ’70s afro-action comes with an attention to detail not yet seen, with library footage, soul ballads that comment on the unfolding story, and wooden actors who read out their direction along with their lines (“Sarcastically, I’m in charge”). As gripping as Shaft and Super Fly, the kung fu delivers, and the plot takes it closer to The Man than any private dick/sex machine has gone before.

Fond and very funny homage to the exploitation era.
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