A Low Down Dirty Shame

This movie is far from perfect, but it holds a special place in my heart. I grew up with it and it always makes me laugh. It is essentially a comedic version of Shaft with noir elements to it. The cast is amazing. Keenan Ivory Wayans, Charles S. Dutton, and Andrew Divoff are great as a always. Jada Pinkett and Salli Richardson are just gorgeous and they both deliver very strong performances. Corwin Hawkins, may he rest in peace, is easily my favorite character in the movie. He is HILARIOUS in the movie and steals every scene he is in. "Good morning shaaaaaaame." He is hysterical in the movie. The movie is also action packed and entertaining from beginning to end. The soundtrack is also pretty dope too. Yes the movie has flaws, but its a funny, fun, hangout, Friday night movie. Sit back and enjoy.

Check it out.

Considering that Keenan Ivory Wayans is a comedian, I was impressed with the way that he handled this action-comedy which he starred in and directed. A not so far cry away from his comedic success with his "blaxploitation" spoof "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", Keenan manages to fare well with good action sequences and stick a lot of funny s*** along the way. Jada Pinkett lives up to comedic expectations as the sexy but tough assistant to Shame as Peaches. It's a good action-comedy to rent, but put the kids to bed before you watch it. The movie has plenty of violence, adult content and plenty of raw language.

Plot: A black detective becomes embroiled in a web of danger while searching for a fortune in missing drug money. During the course of his investigation, he encounters various old connections, ultimately confronting the criminal responsible for Shame's expulsion from the force. He must also deal with two women, Angela, a beautiful old flame, and Peaches, his energetic but annoying sidekick.

This is easily my favorite Keenan Ivory Wayans directed film. This combines action and comedy very well within its story. The cast all play their roles very well, especially Keenan and Jada Pinkett Smith who delivers some of the funniest lines of the movie. The jokes don't feel forced and help drive the story forwarded unlike a lot of comedies these days who like to repeat the same joke over and over again. I wish more comedies nowadays were more like this.

Overall, A Low Down Dirty Shame is a very underrated action comedy that delivers on the laughs, action, and has s good straight forwarded story That holds its own. Check this out if you haven't seen it, you will not regret it.

A Low Down Dirty Shame is really no more than all the most familiar Cop movie clichés arranged in an order that makes a barely cohesive story. But it's all the fun and silly action that occurs in between that really matters! It's a bit like The Last Boy Scout from a spoof-blaxploitation angle.

Shame (Keenan Ivory Wayans) is a former cop who has been blackballed after a major drugs bust went awry, leaving several DEA agents dead. He now works as a private detective, taking on suicide missions for peanuts and barely scraping by. His disapproving secretary Peaches (a very funny and very, very small Jada Pinkett) wants him to get his act together but he's too busy wallowing in self-pity.

His old pal from the DEA shows up and offers him a side mission to help get back at the Drug Kingpin who ruined his career. And so, with only a few clues, Shame begins his search and soon all roads lead to lies and deception. Like I said, the plot is certainly nothing special. But it does contain a helluva lot of laughs and decent action.

The one thing I can complain of is that the production design is kind of dated now. Action films have evolved so much in the past decade that watching ALDDS 12 years on can be a bit distracting. Wayans (who also directs as well as writing and starring) too often shoots non-actions scenes like a sitcom and his light-hearted editing may help remind you that this totally AIN'T a serious film but it's a little TV-ish if you know what I mean.

If you find ALDDS for cheap somewhere or if it's showing on TV then don't con yourself out of a fun movie. High art is not what this film aims to be.

The movie was not the greatest, I agree, but it was entertaining. It had a lot of action and humor. The acting, though not superb, was in general, decent. As long as I'm entertained, can laugh, cry or be scared out of my wits by a performance, then I recommended the movie. I am a firm believer that if a person doesn't like what he/she are watching, they can leave or turn the dial.