Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

  • Advertisements

Review: 'Black Dynamite'

Riff on over-the-top blaxploitation genre will have you laughing hard.

By Peter Rainer / October 16, 2009



I'm not sure that the satirical "Black Dynamite" is going to be a laugh-riot for audiences unschooled in the ways of blaxploitation films, but if you have any familiarity at all with "Super Fly" and "Shaft," I'm pretty sure you'll be as convulsed as I was. Director and co-writer Scott Sanders understands that many of those exploitation films were already on the cusp of self-satire. In "Black Dynamite," starring co-writer Michael Jai White as the eponymous stud avenger hero, Sanders pushes the envelope without breaking the seal. You could argue, I suppose, that this film, a Sundance hit, is essentially a funny sketch padded out to feature length. And what of it, my man? Grade: B+ (Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language, some violence, and drug content.)

Skip to next paragraph
E-mail Permissions

Photos of the day

02.14.12 »

What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change. See how individuals are making a difference...

Charlie Weingarten pictured during a Common Threads cooking class in Los Angeles. The program, one of many projects started by Mr. Weingarten, aims to teach children to love healthy cooking and eating.

Charlie Weingarten finds fresh ways to champion selfless acts of philanthropy

A member of a philanthropic family founded Explore.org to inspire selflessness and lifelong learning.

Become a fan! Follow us! YouTube Link up with us! See our feeds!