‘Outlaw Johnny Black’ Review: Vengeance Is on His Mind

A gravel-toned gunslinger rolls into city. He’s received a bullet together with his nemesis’s identify on it and vengeance on his thoughts. It’s a well-known picture that “Outlaw Johnny Black,” directed by Michael Jai White, intends to spoof, however the punchlines don’t fairly land correctly on this misguided Western parody.

This is the second film that White has written with Byron Minns; the primary was “Black Dynamite,” the 2009 Blaxploitation spoof that White additionally starred in. But whereas the latter understood the particular visible language and difficult tone of its style satire, “Outlaw Johnny Black” struggles to determine a constant comedic rhythm.

Much of the failings come from its bagginess and lack of expositional focus (plus a number of needlessly cringe-worthy scenes involving Native American characters). The first third of the movie — which issues the connection between the titular Johnny Black (White) and Brett Clayton (Chris Browning), the person who killed his father — turns into virtually irrelevant after Johnny winds up in a small city impersonating a preacher and enmeshed in political schemes over oil-rich land.

There are some humorous moments on this stretch, significantly when the actors are allowed to run with a few of the purely inane gags. But the laughs are misplaced inside a very lengthy, meandering plot and scenes that miss visible polish or comedic concision. The gunslinger can land a punch, however the movie doesn’t pack any.

Outlaw Johnny Black
Rated PG-13 for violence, sturdy language and a few sexual materials. Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes. In theaters.