On the heels of “Black Dynamite”, we ask the question – “what does the resurrection of this genre of cinema – Blaxploitation – mean? What has been the enduring fascination with the genre?
Join us tonight for Black World Cinema at the ICE Chatham 14 Theater in Chicago. the screening and discussion of the French blaxploitation revival film, “BLACK”. 7pm!
This flick isn’t just an action movie, but a film that takes the best of ‘70s blaxploitation and ‘80s fun action and rolls it into a bizarre-as-hell voodoo backdrop. But don’t misunderstand me… the voodoo elements aren’t at the forefront at all, which makes it even that more weird. The flick really does feel like a bizarro-world SHAFT IN AFRICA.
A funky riff on the theme music from 2001: A Space Odyssey opens the film. The catchy redux leads to a bank robbery that goes quickly awry, a maniacal, island-dwelling millionaire who’s slowly turning into a snake, a volatile and crazy Russian general, witches, witch doctors, gunfire, machete-wielding wrestlers, and two antiheroes imbued with cat powers who dress up like the members of an African Kiss tribute band.
The initial robbery attempt in France ends in a shootout with police, and three of the four thieves end up dead. Black (MC Jean Gab’1 – the villain in District 13), the only survivor, escapes with his life but without the money. He soon gets an offer for a job in Senegal involving millions of dollars in diamonds and is immediately on a plane for the dark continent.
Black was born in Africa before moving to France, and he sees the Senegalese bankers and police as easy targets. His assumption is essentially correct except that he fails to consider that others might be after the diamonds too. And these others are crazy don’t mess-with-me-dudes. His team of robbers is assembled, introduced, and dispatched fairly quickly, and once again Black is on his own.
Join filmmaker and Black Box Office contributor Floyd Webb in a discussion after the film!
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