Director Michael Jai White, never lacking in a sense of humor, infuses his trademark Black Dynamite-style of blaxploitation into the old west and tackles a few complicated racial issues along the way, in the first release from his new studio, Jaigantic. How well does this all come together?
Outlaw Johnny Black
Directed by Michael Jai White
Starring Michael Jai White, Anika Noni Rose, Byron Minns, Jill Scott
Runtime: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Synopsis
Outlaw Johnny Black (White) won’t rest until he kills the man who murdered his father, but after the town sheriff’s murder is pinned on him, Johnny has to escape. He encounters a reverend along the way through a series of hijinks and swaps places with the man, taking over his new position at a small town church. However, by doing so, he’s placed himself on a collision course with a local mob attempting to wrestle land away from the local townsfolk, which will force the outlaw out of hiding and into the spotlight.
**Content Warning: Black & White Rape**
Blaxploitation Mismatch
Some of the elements that made Michael Jai White’s role as Black Dynamite (2009) work so well is that the messiness was intentional and baked in. For example, the boom mic dropping into the frame or various scenes not matching up correctly tracked with the overall silliness. Here, as White takes over the directing reins, much of that nuance and silliness doesn’t hit the same way. That doesn’t mean that you won’t get any laughs or enjoyment from this Western fare, but parts of the story asks for seriousness, which is hard to give when the overall story is ridiculous.
That’s not to say that Black Westerns can’t have fun or replicate the elements of blaxploitation, but typically those were baked into Black gangster / crime films. You can’t simply bring over the era of blaxploitation into westerns by simply replicating it 1 to 1, you have to make some adjustments so that critique or changes make sense.
Credit: Jaigantic Studios
It’s also hard to understand what is going on. The core plot of mistaken identities is confusing enough, but there are additional elements or twists added in the middle and later acts that just make the whole affair messy. On top of needing to keep track of different groups of people and backstories, it makes it hard to care for this massive ensemble. There was potential with the revenge story and how Johnny Black wanted to avoid taking vengeance, but it’s eventually dropped in favor of a cheap joke.
Acting has never been a strong suit when it comes to modern Blaxploitation, but this one has a considerable drop-off compared to other Michael Jai White films. So many scenes come off incredibly stiff or takes seem to go on forever with a joke that’s clearly worn out its welcome. One bright spot is with Johnny Black’s father Bullseye Black, portrayed by veteran actor Glynn Turman. Any flashback featuring him and the younger Outlaw Black (played by Jayln Hall) stands out for being less comedic but are also more composed and sincere than any other moment.
Credit: Jaigantic Studios
Being a first-time director while also in front of the camera can be a tall task, but White nails it when it comes to any action setpiece in the film. The townsfolk rallying together to repel the gang and various shootouts are fun to watch despite how ludicrous the appearances and kills can become. Had the movie been more focused on this instead of tedious exposition scenes, it might have made the whole experience more enjoyable.
WWRBBM
I wasn’t going to repeat the acronym here because I don’t need Urban Dictionary linking to my review (though I wouldn’t scoff at the increased web traffic), but this is one of those jokes / historical issues that I’ve never felt great about. On the one hand, as soon as they said the acronym in context of everything going on, I knew exactly what it stood for.
WWRBBM means White Woman Raped By Black Man
In the film, they use it to talk about how certain towns or Black areas of prosperity are being attacked by white townspeople in the name of justice to protect white women they believe have been harmed by Black men. In reality, they were just carrying out the whims of white supremacist ideals. The idea of a Black town doing well economically or potentially doing better than a white town was incompatible with the idea of white superiority.
Credit: New York Times
Probably the most famous example in American history is the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. After a white newspaper, the Tulsa Tribune, reported that a Black man may have raped a white woman in an elevator, the white community members created a mob. That mob would eventually repel the Black crowd from the courthouse, pushing them all the way back to Greenwood (the largely Black area of town), razing Black property to the ground as they went, with the support of police and local government.
Today, many have come to recognize the actual racial horror at play and how Tulsa – though the most popularized and recently brought to life in scenes from HBO’s Watchmen (2019) and Lovecraft Country (2020) – was certainly not alone in how this story took place: white woman accused a Black man of rape, white mob comes for justice, either supported by the government or given a pass, while the Black townsfolk have to fend for themselves. At best, the singular person accused would be lynched, and at worst, families, Black business districts, and / or whole towns were destroyed.
Credit: HBO
On the other hand, we unfortunately have high-profile examples of powerful Black men getting away with sexual assault, which makes the historical backdrop more complicated. No one in the Black community really wanted to believe or act on the knowledge that Bill Cosby was a rapist, even though that rumor or common knowledge had been out there for decades. Some of that is rooted in what he meant overall for the Black community, but one aspect is definitely a healthy and earned distrust of white victims, given the amount of Black bodies killed in the wake of their lies.
I give you this backdrop because dropping this nuanced of a joke into a movie that’s clearly not interested in delving into it deeper feels incredibly icky. I would be lying if I said the joke didn’t make me laugh because it did initially. It’s certainly a joke that can make you laugh and be upset simultaneously, especially understanding the context. Now, you may think the movie drops this line at every opportunity with how much time I’ve spent talking about it. In truth, it only comes up once or twice, to my recollection. However, since the film gave viewers little context for this joke or even failed to root it within the timeframe (which may have been enough to detach it from current problems), it feels gross to not call out this problem before you watch.
Conclusion / Recommendation
If you’re expecting a Western homage or a beautiful blend between Blaxploitation elements and the Wild West, Outlaw Johnny Black can’t deliver on that lofty claim, which is disappointing given the collection of talent and potential with White’s usually solid comedic chops.
This may be worth a watch for avid Michael Jai White fans, but won’t be impressing anyone else. Now that it’s on streaming, it may be easier to check out and decide if you want to commit the time.
Score: 6.3 out of 10
- Stiff Acting- 6
- Many scenes lack energy; some of that may come from the script, but much of it comes from weak delivery, too many characters to keep up with, and some odd decisions.
- Wild West Hijinks- 7
- When it comes to just shooting and running around the Wild West, this is when the film excels, but these moments are unfortunately few and far between until the finale.
- Comedic Elements- 6
- Some of the laughs are well constructed, but many scenes have characters just standing around overextending jokes or making some problematic ones that don’t land.
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