Blaxploitation is back, baby! But honestly, did it ever really go away? Well, maybe not, but there was an absolute explosion of blaxploitation films back in the 1970s. Some notable movies in that time period would be flicks like Super Fly (Not to be confused with the one in the animated feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Trouble Man, and the one that may have started it all, Melvin Van Peebles’ own Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.
But, here’s the thing. While blaxploitation may not have gone away completely, there seems to be a resurgence of it over the past few years or so. So much so that it got us thinking about some of the awesome more modern flicks that may have callbacks to blaxploitation movies of the ‘70s. Now, some of these movies are more modern than others, but all of them feel like they may have gotten some inspiration or other from the blaxploitation movies of the ‘70s.
Oh, and R.I.P. to Richard Roundtree. He was one bad mother–shut yah mouth! I’m just talking about Richard Roundtree! (Then we can dig it!)
They Cloned Tyrone - Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde
Directed by Juel Taylor, They Cloned Tyrone, which CinemaBlend’s own Nick Venable called “clever” in his positive review, is a blast and a half. Labeled as a sci-fi comedy mystery and starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx, They Cloned Tyrone is about getting to the truth of a government conspiracy involving cloning, but it also sprinkles in some hefty blaxploitation elements for good measure.
And, being a forward-thinking blaxploitation film, it plays with tropes and archetypes, like the drug dealer, the pimp, and the prostitute, in ways that feel totally unique. Don’t partake in the fried chicken and grape drink!
While watching the film, it made me think about the 1976 horror movie, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde. Directed by William Crain, and starring Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash (who is also in one of the better I Am Legend adaptations, The Omega Man), Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde reminds me a lot of They Cloned Tyrone through its sci-fi premise, and its campy tone. In this movie, a scientist (Casey) is trying to heal a colleague, but it backfires and it turns him into a white monster who goes on a killing spree.
What gives me the They Cloned Tyrone-vibes is that the killing spree takes place in the neighborhood where he kills the pimps and prostitutes who roam the streets. It’s an interesting take on a familiar story, and one that I find fascinating when compared to a modern flick like They Cloned Tyrone, which sees racism in a somewhat cheekier tone.
Jackie Brown - Coffy
Honestly, could I have written a list about modern blaxploitation movies without including Quentin Tarantino? In one of Tarantino’s best movies, Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, and a whole slew of others (like Breaking Bad star, Robert Forster!) star in this crime film based on an Elmore Leonard novel.
The story concerns a flight attendant (Grier) who gets picked up by the cops for smuggling in money for her boss (Jackson). The cops are looking to take down her boss, and want to use her as bait, but Jackie’s all like, nuh-huh. How about I take this money instead for myself?
Obviously, Jackie Brown is a homage to movies like Foxy Brown, and Coffy, which also starred Pam Grier, and in a lot of ways, Pam Grier in Jackie Brown feels like an all-grown up version of Coffy or Foxy. I liken Coffy as the closer film to Jackie Brown though, as the rage Grier's character feels in that movie simmers more than it does in Foxy Brown.
Eventually, it all boils over and Pam Grier’s character decides that she’s done playing nice, just like she does in Jackie Brown. In that way, Jackie Brown feels like a blaxploitation film in the ‘90s. I love it.
Django Unchained - Shaft
Okay, so while Django Unchained isn’t exactly a blaxploitation film (It’s more of a revisionist western), I do feel there are blaxploitation elements in it that make it stand out as such. The film is about a slave (played by Jamie Foxx) who bands with a bounty hunter (played by the Academy Award-winning, Christoph Waltz), to bag some outlaws, and then work together to rescue Django’s wife (played by Kerry Washington).
Now, for me, Django’s character has John Shaft written all over him. John Shaft was the kind of man who wouldn’t take crap from nobody, and would shoot you if you deserved it. The action is much bloodier in Django, but I’m not alone in seeing the Shaft connection, as Tarantino himself considers Django Unchained to be a prequel to Shaft. So, uh, yeah. That’s worth mentioning.
Barbershop - Car Wash
Barbershop is another one of those “not-really-a-blaxploitation-film” sort of movies like Django, but I definitely feel elements of the subgenre coursing throughout its veins. Starring Ice Cube, Eve, and many others, Barbershop is basically about the daily lives of barbers, and the clients who come into their shop.
Given that barbershops are often a cornerstone in urban neighborhoods, we get various conversations that feel more like actual interactions rather than dialogue.
And, argue with me all you want, but even though Car Wash is not “technically” a blaxploitation film, I definitely feel it is blaxploitation-adjacent in that it featured a predominantly Black cast, racial issues of the day, and also a banging soundtrack to help drive its narrative.
The realistic repartee also makes me think of Barbershop. In fact, it’s films like Barbershop and Car Wash that always make me feel like the blaxploitation subgenre was so much more than just jive talking and karate chops.
Black Dynamite - Dolemite
Speaking of jive talking and karate chops, I of course have to mention a film that was parodying (lovingly, of course) those very same elements in the wonderful Black Dynamite. Starring Michael Jai White (who despite what both him – and you, apparently – think, was awesome in Spawn), the film centers around a martial arts master (White) seeking revenge against “The Man” after they kill his brother. It’s ridiculous, and it’s hilarious.
Kind of like the movie Dolemite, which was a clear inspiration for Black Dynamite. If you want to learn more about Rudy Ray Moore who was the real Dolemite, then do yourself a favor and watch Netflix’s excellent Dolemite Is My Name. You’ll see the parallels between Dolemite and Black Dynamite really quickly.
BlacKkKlansman - Brotherhood Of Death
Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is an interesting case in that it’s not a blaxploitation film, but one could argue (and others have) that it calls back to the vibe and feeling of blaxploitation movies to make points about our present. The film is about a Black detective who works with a fellow (and white) officer to expose the KKK for who they truly are underneath their hoods.
I’m going to hit you with an obscure one when I connect BlacKkKlansman to the oft-forgotten movie Brotherhood of Death, which is about three Black men who return from Vietnam only to have to come up against the KKK.
The blaxploitation vibes I felt in BlacKkKlansman went deeper than just the afro and music, as it also flowed into the way the KKK members were portrayed, which was as goofballs with their thumbs up their asses. You get a lot of that in Brotherhood of Death as well. But with more traps and firepower, because why the hell not? Stick it to the Klan!
Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus - Ganja & Hess
Speaking of Spike Lee, his 2014 movie, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, is actually based off of a blaxploitation film called Ganja & Hess. Both movies are about vampires, of sorts, but Spike Lee being Spike Lee adds a great deal of subtext about desire and lust, in all their many forms.
The original movie has a similar plot, but a really dreamy, atmospheric tone. It was directed by Bill Gunn, and is definitely a horror movie, but not in the same vein as something like, say, Blacula.
There may be Blaxploitation scholars out there who would not specifically categorize Ganja & Hess as blaxploitation at all, but I feel like it builds off of those elements to create something wholly unique, just as Spike Lee did with Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. One might say the blood of blaxploitation is in both of their DNA.
Candyman - Blacula
Last but not least, I wanted to close on the supernatural gothic horror film Candyman, which is far removed from being a blaxploitation movie.
And yet… I still can’t help but draw comparisons to Blacula, which starred the original tortured soul, Prince Mamuwalde. Blacula’s origin comes when Dracula refuses to help end the slave trade, and turns his back on him, which just leads me back to the idea that blaxploitation, while fun in many ways, also always had something to say in regards to oppression and the Black community. At least the everlasting blaxploitation films anyway.
In many ways, we would likely not have a Candyman if not for “Dracula’s soul brother,” which just leads me to surmise that blaxploitation is alive and well and still weaves its way into the very fabric of Black cinema, even today.
But, what are your thoughts? Have you seen all of these films? For more news on all things cinema, be sure to swing around here often.
