Black Dynamite

Loving parody of '70s blaxploitation flicks starring tough guy Michael Jai White as a Shaft-like superstud, Vietnam vet, ex-CIA crimefighter named Black Dynamite. After his brother, supposedly a drug dealer, was gunned down, he tries to learn the truth and get drugs off his streets. The film perfectly captures the look of the classic films of the genre, as well as the awful acting style (the filmmakers were probably looking more at Dolemite than Shaft). The film can be very funny. In fact, I don't think I laughed harder at any film made in 2009 than I did in the first 15 minutes of this film. Alas, Black Dynamite isn't able to keep up its initial level of energy, and as the film continues, a lot of the jokes flop dead. And I mean A LOT. There were ten minute periods without laughs. And that's just sad, considering how funny it can be. Thankfully, every once in a while something great pops up, and the film has the most inspired final act I can remember (watching the deleted scenes, it becomes apparent that they ran into some huge problems in their original cut and had to jettison enormous chunks of the plot that just weren't funny at all). Despite some massive weaknesses, this is a film that every cult lover, or at least blaxploitation lover, needs to see. You surely won't regret it.