Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown

Too much side politics to show this is a "halal" product for the equality or something. Misleading data, like the March Against Fear the team leaves the impression that the organizer was dead. And a lot of the weaseling from Al Sharpton. Many aspects, like family or his long tradition of extreme domestic violence are just hinted.

A must see for any James Brown fan. And a great introduction to anyone wanting to know more of him.

It well illustrates the drive and originality of this musician. Certainly one of the greats of the 20th century. An innovator whose influence can be directly seen on Prince and Michael Jackson. And as the documentary well shows – an unbelievable tyrant to his band- members.

A lot of interesting interviews and revelations - and WOW performances in this documentary. Fasten your seat belts – the man could move!! Also some very worthwhile special features.

Brilliant documentary on an entertainment genius.

The story of James Brown, singer, songwriter and showman extraordinaire. From his life growing up in abject poverty, to his rise to fame and his influence on music.

Wonderfully made. Contains some rare footage of James Brown concerts and you can feel the dynamism of his performance and sheer exuberance of the show. Could there ever have been someone with a greater stage presence?

Some quite illuminating interviews from people who he worked with - former band members mostly - and people he influenced. Not your usual empty, fawning interviews but genuine, candid, well thought- out, insightful interviews with people who know what they are talking about.

Not just about the music. Shows his work for the civil rights movement and in the black community. Demonstrates well the high regard to which he was held in those groups.

Fantastic.

This is a documentary of Soul Brother No 1 by prolific filmmaker Alex Gibney. It follows the soul legend from his difficult childhood in the south to his mustache/jumpsuit decline and its influence in the rise of 80's hip hop. I feared this would be a scrubbed down version of his life. The first half does touch upon his wild side but mostly it attributes it to the world in which he survives. It seems like an easy treatment until the second half painting a fuller picture. While it does not shy away from the violence against women, it doesn't dwell on it either. It also paints him as a man alone unable to trust anyone. He is ruthless with his dealings with money. Essentially, he had no friends, just employees. He grew up in a world of violence and is heavily influenced by it. Although it tells the story, it doesn't really show it. It doesn't enough of his own words and it doesn't hit him as hard as I want. Of course, this has his amazing music. It tackles his politics with which I'm less familiar. I know about Black and Proud but I didn't know about backing Nixon. That's an intriguing part of his bio. This is a well-rounded TV doc of this American music legend.

"Get On Up" starring Chadwick Boseman and "Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown" came out in the same year. I didn't see either of them until recently and I watched the docudrama first. "Mr. Dynamite" didn't offer much more, but a documentary and real footage is always better to me.

The title says it all. There's no talk about the fall of James Brown, just his rise and his highlights--which I'm fine with. The footage is mostly interviews of people who worked with him who can give first hand accounts of his personality and some stories to give further insight of who he was. Like anyone, he had his ups and downs, his good and his bad. There's no denying he worked hard to get where he got and was an influence on an entire generation or more.

Free with Amazon Prime.