Trouble Man

This is supposed to be part homage, part action flick, part parody. And it is. In a way, it's very entertaining. In another way, it's a very silly film, badly acted and very low budget. I think it went for the wink-wink and the "so bad is good" vibe, but it did not get to that point where I could thoroughly enjoy it.

Michael J White had the presence and the action skills, but you could see that most people there were not even actors. And some people there were extremely good martial artists, but they just didn't get to shine. OK, I get it, you want to make a film with your friends. That's cool. But then the film is only a success if you can make your friends shine. And this film didn't do that.

Trying to star in and direct has left its mark. Its not easy to be in the directors chair as Michael Jai White has found out.

The plot offers a few twists but is simple enough. The fight scenes hold the movie together and are well done but the acting is weak and exaggerated throughout. A director with more experience would have fixed a lot of the problems. It was a good try but just not good enough.

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)

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.