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Released By: Kino Lorber
Released On: February 2, 2016
Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Cast: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jim Brown, Isaac Hayes, Antonio Fargas, Bernie Casey, Steve James
Year: 1988
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The Movie:
1988 was the Year of the Parody, as two releases from December clearly show. First out of the gate was The Naked Gun, bringing the television success of Police Squad! to the big screen; and scant days later, Keenen Ivory Wayans' I'm Gonna Git You Sucka brought its own brand of humour to theatres, presenting satire and comedy with a solid throwback to the Blaxploitation films of the 70's.
Wayans wastes no time in setting the tone that will dominate the running time right out of the gate as the location of the film is described as "Any Ghetto, USA", as local hustler Junebug Spade is found dead of, "O.G"....death by an overdose of wearing gold chains. Unfortunately, the deceased Junebug owes a sizable amount of cash to his employer, Mr. Big (John Vernon), which prompts the crime boss to send Willie and Lenny (Damon Wayans) to Junebug's mother's house to work out a compromise. When they suggest that they take Junebug's lady and turn her out as a working girl, Mama takes matters into her own hands, laying a beating on the two criminals that they won't soon forget, but will no doubt result in some serious consequences.
Fortunately, Junebug's brother, Jack Spade (Keenen Ivory Wayans) is released from the army in time to return home and take his place as the man of the family. Horrified that his brother could go from being a petty drug dealer to a (gasp!) wearer of gold chains, Jack swears to his mama that he'll get take care of things and put Mr. Big out of business. Spade enlists the help of John Slade (Bernie Casey), his mom's ex-boyfriend and a former crime fighter, who is currently running community activities like Youth Gang Competitions where contestants run from police dogs while carrying televisions, and car-stripping time trials, and the two arm themselves with the help of a former Vietnam veteran. Realizing that the job will require more than what they're capable of doling out, Spade and Slade enlist the help of rib-cooking badasses Hammer and Slammer (Isaac Hayes and Jim Brown), former Pimp Of The Year, Flyguy (Antonio Fargas), and find their Chinese Connection in the Bruce Lee-inspired Kung Fu Joe (Motherfuckin' Steve James). After an assault on Mr. Big's hangout for players with giant hats, the Big Brim Bar, Mr. Big rallies his troops and the two camps engage in an epic battle for the streets.
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is not going to appeal to everyone. The storyline is pretty generic action, and the comedy is, to put it blatantly, ridiculous as all get-out. And to be even more honest, the film is not capable of really functioning as anything outside of a juvenile comedy with sight gags a-plenty that fans of Wayans' writing would later become more acquainted with In Living Color and (shudder) White Chicks. Obvious stunt doubles, slapstick, fart-smell faces and sheer idiocy dominate the running time, a stamina test for the uninitiated that will cause most viewers to walk away.
For those that do appreciate the humour, however, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a goldmine of awesome, not just because of the comedic devices but also because of the sheer talent at work. Isaac Hayes, Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Steve James and Antonio Fargas bring their badass selves to the screen with no holding back, recreating the personas that they brought to classics like Truck Turner, American Ninja, Cleopatra Jones...etc etc etc, that make every frame that they appear in, every bit of dialogue, well worth the price of admission. And John Vernon in an exploitation film? Yeah, John Vernon. Badass. The writing in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka may not be top-notch, the direction may be on the pedestrian side, but it's certainly worth watching just to see this many talented actors appear in one place. Add to that the musical stylings of Isaac Hayes, Edwin Starr, Boogie Down Productions and Fishbone, and you've got a winner.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Kino brings I'm Gonna Git You Sucka to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1 AVC-encoded transfer that looks swell. Although it does occasionally exhibit the signs of age, detail is sharp for the most part, black levels are good, and colours are impressive.
Audio is provided courtesy of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track that does a great job of conveying the dialogue and soundtrack of the film. The soundstage is nicely spread out and clear, and dialogue is consistent without hisses, crackles or pops.
English Subtitles are provided for this release.
A 1988 Making of Featurette (5:35) contains various on-set and behind the scenes film clips, as well as interviews with Keenen Ivory Wayans and a number of the co-stars. The Additional Interviews and B-Rolls (4:35) is an extension of that, with more interviews. Small parts of those interviews feature in the Making of Featurette.
Trailers for I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Delirious, Up The Creek, and Truck Turner are also included.
The Final Word:
While the brand of slapstickish comedy will not appeal to everyone, fans of Wayans' work should be impressed by the disc offered up by Kino, which provides a solid upgrade in audio and video from the previous DVD release.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
