Outlaw Johnny Black

This movie was everything you could want from this man and more! I love that this movie has that certain B movie cheese to it like Black Dynamite, the humor just never ends it seems. The casting was so good I basically laughed every time they introduced another character (even more funny because I had no idea who was in the movie). There's was also a whole lot of references to classic Westerns that were slipped in quite humorously as well, but if you didn't understand the reference then it might not have been as funny. I actually thought there runtime was just fine, I enjoyed the whole cliche show. Again, it's Michael Jai White comedy so it's obviously hilarious.

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.

The intro was slow which was a minor issue but the cast holds the comedy and action well.

The story was funny, light, and engaging once it picked up when Johnny enters the location of majority of the movie.

The time spent with the characters and the way all the actors worked together was amazing you can tell they had fun while also sharing it towards people on screen.

It was a joy to see so many familiar faces, and so many of the cast from black dynamite shows up while seeing new ones.

I'm hard pressed to find someone who didn't deliver, one of my favorite scenes is when the character Jessie lee is introduced.

It had me and others in the theater dying laughing.

I would recommend to anyone who has seen the directors last work like this, and to anyone who enjoys a classic story of a villain turned hero.

"Outlaw Johnny Black" is the latest movie from Michael Jai White and his team that brought us the amazing "Black Dynamite". (If you have not watched "Black Dynamite" yet, you are missing out on what would be the funniest movie to come out in the last 20 years had "Tropic Thunder" never been made. It is that good.) Being that it is the same crew, you will see many of the same faces returning to the party.

Johnny Black is a man driven by vengeance that leads him on a journey to finding himself. I will leave it at that to not spoil anything as the plot is actually more in depth and with more twists and turns than would be expected from what is a concept that has existed as long as stories have been told.

Where BD was a *chefs kiss* spoof of a Blaxploitation film, OJB is more a comedic western along the lines of "Blazing Saddles". More Mel Brooks than Sergio Leon, MJW does a good job of bringing the laughs while also having a good bit of character growth and life lessons thrown in.

The only issue I had with the movie is that it is fairly long, and some parts are there to expand on the plot and not hit you with the comedy. Whereas BD was nonstop zingers from start to finish, OJB is more spaced out with the comedy at the beginning and picks up a bit in the later half.

Some people make take issues with how some characters are portrayed, but just remember that it is all done deliberately to mimic a style of the past and how things were done then. I could understand what the intent was and thought everything was hilarious.

As this is a *follow up* (for a lack of better term) to BD, you may be wondering if you need to see BD beforehand. The answer is no. This is a completely standalone movie that can be enjoyed by itself. However, you will miss out of several jokes that are direct callbacks to BD (hence my review title).

While I would give BD a solid 10/10 due to the genre it is spoofing and the nonstop comedy from start to finish, I will give OJB a 7/10 for being a little longer, more sparing with the jokes and being of a genre that lends itself less to the full-on belly laughs.

Definitely recommend the watch.

Michael Jai White's "Outlaw Johnny Black" (2023) attempts to blend martial arts action with Western comedy, but ultimately falls flat, delivering a lukewarm and utterly unmemorable cinematic experience. The film suffers from a severe lack of narrative focus, meandering aimlessly between its action sequences and attempts at humor without ever truly committing to either. The supposed "charming" interactions and comedic timing feel forced and contrived, lacking the genuine spark necessary to engage the audience. Despite Michael Jai White's physical presence, the dialogue often feels clichéd and uninspired, as if the writers simply strung together a series of genre tropes without any regard for natural conversation or compelling comedic timing. Instead of a fresh and energetic take on the Western, it offers a superficial and often irritating spectacle of forced whimsy.

Is it worth watching? No, unless you have an exceptionally high tolerance for formulaic action-comedies and a desire to see a predictable narrative unfold. There are far more engaging and genuinely entertaining Westerns available.