Intelligent comedy
About a year or so ago the subject of intelligent comedies came up in a review or two. There are comedies that are made with ‘stupidity’ completely at the wheel, while there are comedies that have comedy that looks stupid, but is truly intelligent. There’s a huge difference between the two.
I’ve watched Black Dynamite three times and I finally can find a place to put it. The first time I viewed it, it seemed like another Wayans brother venture where shallow comedy brings cheap laughter. The second time I started seeing a lot of different little subtle things in it that made me think there was something more. After watching the special features on the blu-ray and viewing the film a third time I saw a director and set of actors paying homage to a genre that is long since forgotten. From the surface the film might seem like it’s about a larger than life character named Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White), who is simply bringing the pain in outlandish situations in hopes of avenging the death of his brother, but it’s certainly more than that.
Black Dynamite, for all the comedy that comes with it, is a combination of all the Blaxploitation films ever made. You have your tough, Shaft-like character that’s going up against larger than life odds and is trying to stop an outlandish plot from unfolding. Starting with Michael Jai White’s performance, it’s damn solid. He brings the unbending serious nature of the tough lead character and combines it with the ass-kicking, smooth moves from a Bruce Lee movie. The man is tough, buff and (I mean this innocently) flexible. For a comedy White doesn’t break character once. Seeing the man interviewed in the featurette of the blu-ray versus his Black Dynamite character simply shows you the acting range he extends. Without White this movie simply doesn’t work as well.
As for director Scott Sanders, he keeps the movie going despite the outrageous situations that it presents. Sanders and writer Byron Minns keep the movie moving smoothly forward while keeping the comedy balanced in nearly every aspect. Much like Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker movies, you’ll find new comedy each time you watch the film. Not many comedies provide this sort of depth and you can credit the writers and director for this replay value. For example, the second time I watched Black Dynamite, our main character walks into the headquarters of a Black Panthers-type group in order to find more information about his brother’s death. Two guys meet him at the door and the second guy starts spouting off tough lines. What’s funny about this is the guy reads off how he’s suppose to deliver his line then delivers it. So, it would go something like this:
BD: I need to speak to the headman.
Guy: Sarcastically, Who do you think you are?
Instead of delivering the line sarcastically the guy actually announces that it’s going to be delivered sarcastically. Simple, but brilliant. Subtle little things like this make up the comedy of Black Dynamite and keep it going; it’s brilliant.
Now, with all this praise there is going to be a downer; the movie doesn’t cater to everyone. If you go into the film expecting a straight-up comedy then you’re going to be entertained, but not dying to see it again. The film simply doesn’t cater to all audiences. For people who understand the homage to Blaxploitation films it’s going to be a huge payoff. My friend that watched it with me didn’t love it too much. I can sort of see why it didn’t last in theaters too long. In the end, if you know what Sanders, Minns and White are trying to accomplish it makes it all worth your while.
Speaking of which, the features make this movie work even better. If you’re not too familiar with Blaxploitation films you have a great chance to get some good information about them through the ’70’s: Back in Action’ featurette that comes with the blu-ray. You’ll get some solid information from Sanders, White and Minns (with other cast members) talking about what they were trying to accomplish with the film. They get into how Blaxploitation films were used and what made them Blaxploitation films. It’s interesting for any film buff and it makes you appreciate the movie a lot more. As for the rest of the features, the commentary is very solid and the deleted/alternate scenes are good, but appropriately cut. The comic-con experience is very interesting.
As for the blu-ray, the picture quality is great, not perfect. I’m not sure if it’s how the film itself was shot, but there is some graininess in the picture that shows up pretty well on a 1080p set. The audio is fabulous though with “Dyna-mite! Dyna-mite!” possibly playing through the speakers more than the badass 70s music that accompanies it. This is the first blu-ray that I’ve come across that comes with a Playstation 3 theme, so enjoy that.
