Trouble Man

Michael Jai White has made some fairly good films, but sadly, nothing that is exceptional. This film is not in either of those two categories.

From the writing to the action sequences, to dialogue, nothing here is worth the price of admission.

Each of the action sequences kind of looks like they were on runners starting blocks, waiting for the action command to start moving. It looks fake, totally scripted with no action flow.

The dialogue is stilted, and every scene fits into some phony gangster rap scenario. There is not a single bit that comes across as realistic!

The women are all wearing high-end street hoe outfits that come across as trashy.

Why is it that they only speak like bad tropes, instead of real people? It's really a bad script, with bad casting, acting, and direction.

I want to like Michael Jai White. He is a real martial artist, but direction seems outside his wheelhouse.

The 2025 movie "Trouble Man" was one I had never heard about. But since I believe in giving all movies that I haven't already seen a fair chance, of course I opted to see it. And the fact that the movie had Michael Jai White in the leading role certainly served as some icing on the cake.

The storyline in "Trouble Man" is pretty straightforward. Sure, a bit formulaic and really nothing you haven't seen in other movies before, but it still proved to be an entertaining movie. So writer Michael Stradford managed to put together a good enough script and storyline.

There were a couple of familiar faces on the cast list, aside from leading actor Michael Jai White then I also recognized Mike Epps and Orlando Jones. The acting performances in the movie were good.

There is a good amount of action in the movie, which definitely adds to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

My rating of director Michael Jai White's 2025 movie "Trouble Man" lands on a six out of ten stars.

When I saw the trailer for this, I was hyped! When I shared it with a friend, he asked if I had seen the 70's movie and I had no idea this was a remake. I immediately found the 70's version and watched it. Reminded me of Passenger 57 in a way. Maybe because the main character in the original had a small role in 57 as well.

This movie had action, comedy and decent stakes, but everything was in the wrong hands. I think it was too tall of an order for MJW to star and direct. The writer of this adaptation doesn't have a single credit worth mentioning and it lead to this being an underwhelming, yet entertaining film. Method man was great, just like his small role in Luke Cage. Orlando Jones was OK, but a little too silly in my opinion.

The Asian lead had potential, but her crew was also silly and this movie kept taking me out of the fantasy with really bad CGI. Would it have been too much to have a real fight on top of a building, in a garage or a park? The CGI was so obvious that it just ruined the illusion and made me wonder how small the budget really was here.

In the right hands, this could have been something, and black cinema needs movies like this, but the A+ potential was squandered on unqualified talent.

I bet I could have edited a far better film, but so be it. It is what it is and I think this will soon be forgotten.

Ok, I have much respect for Michael Jai White and I've seen most of the movies he acts in.

This one is obvious that is very low budget. Acting is not good, fighting choreographies are well designed, but effects and direction are bad.

Script is so very cliche, you've seen variations of this movie before hundreds of times.

I'll be brutally honest, I've seen better green screen and effects from youtubers with zero budget.

Michael Jai White's Trouble Man delivers surprisingly engaging action-comedy that punches above its weight.

Following ex-cop turned Atlanta PI Jaxen hunting missing R&B star Jahari, the investigation spirals into conspiracy territory with enough twists to stay interesting.

White directs himself capably, keeping things brisk with genuine genre understanding. The Atlanta setting provides authentic atmosphere, and Method Man offers decent support, though the acting quality wobbles throughout.

Budget constraints kill the action sequences stone dead. Fight scenes feel stagey, chase sequences lack punch, and supporting performances range from adequate to wooden. White's charismatic presence can't mask these technical shortcomings.

What works is the film's genuine affection for classic detective stories. It's comfort food cinema-familiar, unpretentious, moderately entertaining despite obvious limitations. This would've found its audience easily in the 1990s, but feels slightly adrift now.

Rating: 6.5/10 (Decent detective story hampered by budget reality and uneven execution)