Black Dynamite (2009)

Black Dynamite is the greatest African-American action star of the 1970s. When his only brother is killed by The Man, it's up to him to find justice.

Director:

Scott Sanders

Writers:

Michael Jai White (screenplay), Byron Minns (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Jai White, Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Phyllis Applegate	...	Aunt Billy
Obba Babatundé	...	Osiris (as Obba Babatunde)
William Bassett	...	Captain Yancy
Troy Lindsey Brown	...	Kid #1
Fredella Calloway	...	Waitress
Cheryl Carter	...	Black Dynamite's Mother
Juka Ceesay	...	Valet Girl (as Juka Cesay)
Kevin Chapman	...	O'Leary
Tommy Davidson	...	Cream Corn
Lucky Davis	...	Paperboy
Nicholas Earley	...	Neighborhood Kid
Richard Edson	...	Dino
Jason Jack Edwards	...	Soul Brother (as Jason Jack Edwards)
Jon Kent Ethridge	...	12 year old Black Dynamite
Mary Evans	...	Woman at table

Storyline

This is the story of 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite. The Man killed his brother, pumped heroin into local orphanages, and flooded the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor. Black Dynamite was the one hero willing to fight The Man all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House..

---

Plot Keywords:

outnumbered | license to kill | mob execution | vengeance | one man army | 

---

Taglines:

He's a powder keg of black fury that's about to explode!

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language, some violence and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Phil Morris and Nicole Sullivan provided voices in the animated series The Secret Saturdays (2008).

---

Goofs

When Cream Corn runs away from Black Dynamite from the barbershop, his boots turn from high heeled to flat bottomed, back to high heeled again. This is a parody of poorly edited blaxploitation films.

---

Quotes

Black Dynamite: First Lady, I'm sorry I pimp-slapped you into that china cabinet. I used excessive force. Oftentimes, I cross the line, but I try to do so in the name of what's right. Most of the time, the ends justifies the means. But in this case, I feel like I betrayed my own code of ethics. And for that, sugar, I apologize.
Patricia Nixon: But I shot at you. I tried to kill you, Black Dynamite.
Black Dynamite: This is true, but you did not connect. You shot a plate. Had you connected, pimp-slapping you into that china cabinet might have ...
[...]

---

Alternate Versions

The international version of the film contains six minutes of additional footage, consisting of extra dialogue in some scenes and extended fight sequences. In the scene where Black Dynamite and Cream Corn take a helicopter and leave Kung Fu Island, they use it to destroy Fiendish Dr. Wu's complex before heading off to the White House.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Straight-to-Video Movies (2015)

---

Soundtracks

Name of the Game
(uncredited)
Music by Brian Bennett and Alan Hawkshaw

User Reviews

A breakthrough performance by Micheal Jai White!

Movies like Black Dynamite give you an intense yearning for blaxploitation films. Its one of those sadly rare---if not moribund---genres that deserve to be resurrected. I'm quite sure you'll agree when you see it. It first premiered at the 2009 Sundance film festival, where Sony worldwide acquisitions picked it up for distribution. Its a shame Hollywood doesn't produce them as frequently as they did in the early to mid-70s. I don't think I've seen another one since Undercover Brother(2002), which I quite liked. Blaxploitation---even though contemporary ones are few and far between---is one of my favorite movie genres. Those types of films are witty, hilariously silly, tongue-in-cheek and immensely entertaining, and Black Dynamite is no exception.

I felt a deep sense of nostalgia watching it because it reminded me of classic films of the genre, especially the highly influential Foxy Brown(1972). Incidentally, just like in Black Dynamite, the antagonist in Foxy Brown is also known as "The Man". I tremendously enjoyed other blaxploitation films such as Jackie Brown(1997), Shaft(1971), Superfly(1972), Coffey(1973), I'm Gonna Git You Sucka(1988), etc, so I eagerly anticipated Black Dynamite when I saw the trailer early last year, and boy did it deliver!. Kudos to Scott Sanders for his inspired direction, Adrian Younge for his original score and editing, and Shawn Maurer(cinematographer) for capturing the 1970's zeitgeist so vividly. I can say with absolute certainty that its arguably the best blaxploitation film since Shaft. Its infinitely better than Undercover Brother. And did I mention its relentlessly hilarious? It rivals The Hangover as one of the funniest films of 2009.

Micheal Jai White---who shares writing credits Byron Minns and Scott Sanders---really should be a bigger star. With a strong screen presence and undeniable charisma, he's proved he's quite capable of carrying a movie. I wish Hollywood producers would cast this guy more often. Despite being basically a Micheal Jai White show, gorgeous leading lady Salli Richardson-Whitfied makes her presence felt as Gloria, Black Dynamite's partner. Also starring in the film, in smaller roles include Kym Whitley, Arsenio Hall, Nicole Ari Parker, R&B singer Brian Mcknight, Tommy Davison, Mykelti Williamson, to name a few. Jason James and Rick Montgomery did a great job casting them. Even if you're not a fan of blaxploitation films, there's no doubt you'll have a great time watching this terrific film. I've never seen a film this funny in such a long time. Don't miss it! You dig?

Details

Official Sites:

film website for promotion Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Black Dynamite

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$131,862, 18 October 2009

Gross USA:

$242,578

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$296,557

Company Credits

Production Co:

Destination Films, Ars Nova Entertainment, Goliath Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1