Reviews

I am a huge fan of Michael Jai White's BLACK DYNAMITE film and I have been waiting for this film since 2018. At more than two hours it can drag while it sets up all the pieces of its elaborate plot. Jai White manages to blend his martial arts skills into this western with his own signature flare. Michael Jai White and Byron Minns wrote Outlaw Johnny Black and starred in it. Much like Black Dynamite, they bring their sense of humor to the Western genre, but while Black Dynamite was a satire of the blaxploitation, films of yesteryear, Johnny Black is more of a Western with comic relief akin to Blazing Saddles but a bit more restrained. It does have a minimal amount of tongue-in-cheek double entendres. There will be some offended by how the Native Americans are portrayed in the film, even as blatant comic relief but those who understand the satire and humor will chuckle along at the references. Fans of the previous film will notice all of the actors that White and Mimms enjoy working with as repeat faces appear throughout.

People gripe about the title being misleading. Sometimes a story is just a story without you having to read more into it. This was a change of pace from the Kevin Hart that we normally see. However, Kevin has shown us his range a time or two before this, recently this year in FATHERHOOD and he did an incredible job in THE UPSIDE with Bryan Cranston. Though the title is true story did this tale in ANY WAY state that it was based on true events like many other actual stories that are. I think that the film is what Kevin's career needs, a slight departure from the slapstick and something more grounded. He is getting older and as fans many of us are growing with him. He is no longer the sidekick and c-Lister that falls in the mid to end credits area. He has done well to polish his craft and make his brand. I commend him for it. It may not be everyone's cup o' tea but hey... Not everyone likes Citizen Kane or The Titanic or the Godfather films either.