Movie Review: I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

Starring: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Steve James, Isaac Hayes, Jim Brown, Ja'net DuBois, Dawnn Lewis, John Vernon, Clu Gulager, Kadeem Hardison, Damon Wayans, George James, Marc Figueroa, Robert Colbert, Marilyn Coleman, Jester Hairston, Hawthorne James, Anne-Marie Johnson, Gary Owens, Eve Plumb, Clarence Williams III, Michael Goldfinger, John Witherspoon, Homeselle Joy, Vickilyn Reynolds, Paul Motley

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans

United Artists, Front Films, Ivory Way Productions, Raymond Katz Production, USA, 1988.

In Any Ghetto U.S.A. a victim of O.G. (=Over Golded, wearing too many gold chains) is found. The victim was named Junebug (Bobby Mardis). Goons of Mr. Big (John Vernon ) come to collect the debt Junebug owed. The goons Leonard and Willie (Damon Wayans and Kardeem Hardison) try to take Junebug's widow Cheryl (Dawnn Lewis) as hostage but Junebug's Ma Bell (Ja'net DuBois) throws them down the stairs.

Another victim of O.G.

Willie and Leonard

Ma Bell and Cheryl

Junebug's war hero brother Jack Spade (Keenen Ivory Wayans) arrives home. He decides to put an end to Mr. Big's crime syndicate. He asks help from Ma's old friend and host of Annual Youth Gang Competition John Slade (Bernie Casey) John declines because he has retired from being a hero.

Jack Spade

Mr. Big

John Slade

Next Jack tries to recruit Black Revolutionary leader Kalinga (Clarence Williams III) who likes beans. Unsuccessful in recruiting help Jack goes to bar where Cheryl works. Mr. Big's goons harass them again, but Ma (or rather obvious moustached stunt man) comes to fight the baddies. Manly man Jack does not like Ma fighting his fights. However Jack is not a real war hero and he has a childhood trauma of being bullied by gang of midgets.

Annual Youth Gang Competition

After John changes his mind and teaches Jack how to be a real hero, they go to get guns from One Eyed Sam (Hawthorne James). John contacts his old friends Hammer (Isaac Hayes) and Slammer (Jim Brown), pimp and informant Flyguy (Antonio Fargas) and Kung Fu Joe (Steve James). Fred Williamson look-alike, Shaft- and Jim Kelly- clones and the other guys set out to destroy Mr. Big's gold chain empire. However the heroes are quite accident-prone so it is up to Jack to save Cheryl.

Flyguy

Slammer and Hammer

Kung Fu Joe

Isaac Hayes and Antonio Fargas make fun parody of their characters Truck Turner and Huggy Bear. Chris Rock makes an amusing appearance as stingy rib joint customer. Young Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans appear briefly as pedestrians.

Rib Joint Customer

It is hard to believe now, but before sinking in the "Scary Movie" and whatever movie swamp, the Wayans Brothers could make some genuinely funny movies. At least this one (spoofing blaxploitation movies) and "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking your Juice in the Hood" (spoofing ghetto gang movies) are light years away from the terrible spoofs of the later times. Somehow the Wayans clan (and other American spoof makers) lost the balance between satirizing the genre conventions and lazily mocking popular films. I mean just compare the parodical style of late author Terry Pratchett, cleverly using a well known trope, deconstructing it and creating something new, funny and surprising vs the modern spoof style which only takes something temporarily popular phenomena and then pours a ton of crap on them. Well, honestly this is not Pratchett either but still it manages to satirize the overtly macho image of the 1970s black heroes that fell out of fashion in the 1980s. And the bling culture of the rap artists.

There are lot of jokes on blaxploitation tropes, still the movie is fun without knowing all the references. There are some contemporary jokes I didn't get such as running joke about Norway product salesmen. However compared to later Wayans productions the humour relies mostly on absurd and unpredictable situations instead of mocking contemporary celebrities or movies. The typical Wayans gross-out humour is kept at minimum staying at level of "Naked Gun" or "Airplane" movies. This is the funniest movie the Wayans Bros. have made.

Rating: Very Good