Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 26, 2016

In the 1980s, the Wayans Family was just beginning their reign in Hollywood, with Damon Wayans finding his way to “Saturday Night Live,” while Keenan Ivory Wayans established his sense of humor co-writing “Hollywood Shuffle” and the opening of “Eddie Murphy: Raw.” 1988’s “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” was the debutant ball for the clan of comedians, with Keenan making his directorial debut guiding a good chunk of his family through a send-up/celebration of the blacksploitation genre, ordering some of the men who were there originally to return to duty. Taking on a deadly serious set of films with an enormous reservoir of silliness, “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” is a gem in the vein of “Airplane” and “The Naked Gun,” using satire and slapstick to generate huge laughs from unlikely sources.

In the city, black men are dying due to excessive gold chain wear, with Junebug Spade the latest victim. Mourned by his mother, Belle (Ja’Net Dubois), and widow, Cheryl (Dawnn Lewis), Junebug’s death hits his brother, Jack (Keenan Ivory Wayans), especially hard. A returning military vet ready to settle down, Jack is instead inspired to exact revenge on Mr. Big (John Vernon), a criminal kingpin who controls everything, backed by goons Leonard (Damon Wayans) and Willie (Kadeem Hardison). Unprepared for the fight to reclaim his neighborhood, Jack seeks out help from John Slade (Bernie Casey), a retired legend of the street who still has a taste for action. Eventually teaming with John, Hammer (Isaac Hayes), Slammer (Jim Brown), and Kung-Fu Joe (Steve James), Jack declares war on Mr. Big, quickly realizing it takes a little more than weaponry to make it as a black hero.

Instead of slowly introducing the tone of the film, Wayans makes it clear right from the get-go what “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” is after, opening with a parody of Hayes’s “Theme from Shaft,” complete with interrupting backup singers. The viewer is soon transported to “Any Ghetto U.S.A.,” where the scourge of gold chain wear is killing the local kids, with Mr. Big’s ruthless control contributing to urban misery. There’s absolutely nothing serious about the movie, and Wayans is happy to establish absurdities right away, launching “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” with a thrilling blast of ridiculousness. Insanity extends to Belle, a protective mother who’s more than capable of standing up for herself (often fighting Jack’s battles for him, much to his frustration), and there’s John’s “Youth Gang Competition,” where he oversees an urban Olympics that features competitive car stripping and foot races where the participants carry stolen televisions.

Laughs are found everywhere, with Wayans finding a strong rhythm to the feature, keeping on task as a parody of blacksploitation formula as he samples weird asides, including running gags concerning fear of annoying Amway salesmen and an extended depiction of Cheryl’s demonic transformation due to menstrual cramps. Not everything is a home run, but smiles are guaranteed throughout the movie, especially when Wayans indulges his imagination with exaggeration, cooking up a “Pimp of the Year” contest to explore jail-bound snitch Flyguy’s (Antonio Fargas) backstory, and Jack has his own run-in with craziness when he takes a bar floozie (Anne-Marie Johnson) up on her request for a quick tryst, stunned to discover how many artificial parts are attached to her body. The screenplay even takes a few shots at black culture, including a visit with a revolutionary (Clarence Williams III) who doesn’t realize his time has passed (this being one of the film’s primary themes), but “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” is more interested in sending up action productions, toying with the aging concerns of its intimidating stars (Slammer is dealing with serious bunion issues) and Jack’s problematic rise to hero status.

Wayans has assembled an impressive cast, with everyone eager to play in this sandbox, finding turns from Casey, Brown, and Hayes especially amusing considering their past in the genre (titans such as Fred Williamson, Ron O’Neal, and Richard Roundtree are missed, but not essential). Plenty of Wayans pop up as well, along with comedians such as Chris Rock (playing his beloved “just one rib” character), Robin Harris, and John Witherspoon, adding to the party. And Keenan does a fine job in the lead role, knowing exactly when to play it cool and allow his co-stars to guide the scene, and when to let loose, imagining Jack as a Rambo-style warrior, only hampered by his secretary career in the military, making him new to the world of shootouts.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" hasn't been refreshed for its Blu-ray debut, but the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is acceptable. Colors aren't faded, coming through reasonably well, keeping street encounters and costuming interesting, while skintones are natural. Detail remains on the softer side due to low-budget cinematography (basic focus is a challenge at times for the production), but the more graphic details of the feature register as intended, with make-up work and fabrics easily inspected, and close-ups are effective. Delineation comes through without trouble, preserving evening encounters. Source remains in decent shape, with no major points of damage detected.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't offer the type of aural emphasis a film like this deserves, but the essentials are handled to satisfaction. It's a crispier track, teasing a few shrill highs during heated moments, but it's never clouded, keeping dialogue exchanges easy to follow, also preserving comedic beats. Soundtrack cuts are acceptable, with mild heaviness to feel out the funk hits. The opening title track sounds the most problematic, presented with a slight warped quality that's noticeable. Atmospherics are thicker but still keep their purpose, filling out action sequences and street activity.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of (5:35, SD) is a basic EPK featurette that corners cast and crew during the shoot, asking them to summarize the plot and reflect on the silly business they're participating in. It's all routine, but there's some BTS footage to enjoy, spying a few sight gags ultimately cut from the film.

• Additional Interviews & B-roll (4:35, SD) extends conversations, allowing for a little more time to hear cast and crew thoughts on the production.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:11, SD) is included.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Valuing visual mischief and pitch-perfect performances, "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" enjoys mayhem during its final act, adding strange special effects, intentionally visible stunt performers, and wild shoot-outs as the hero squad fires back at Mr. Big and his goons. This is the type of movie that can visit a club reserved only for patrons with meter-wide hat brims and still remain focused on the comedic job at hand, gracefully sampling farce whenever it can without confusing itself. While his work on the television show "In Living Color" was inspired, Keenan Ivory Wayans never achieved the same level of creativity that's found here. Perhaps it's youthful moxie or maybe blacksploitation is too fertile of a target, but the helmer's aim is true with "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," which emerges as the best thing a Wayans have ever produced.