90
Drum: SCENE
F il m
R ev iew s
Title:
Dir:
G enre:
Length:
Starring:
Baadasssss! (2003) MA
Mario Van Peebles
Drama
108mins
Mario Van Peebles, Joy Bryant, T.K.
Carter, Terry Crews, Ossie Davis
Here is a retro film about making a film, which in
its day was quite an event, and no doubt said
something for its time, politically. Whether that
remains the same today is questionable.
The performances are good, especially Joy Bryant –
Priscilla, who had me squealing with pleasure at her
‘audition’ antics. This girl has real talent and is
underused in this movie, especially as the storyline was
looking for some action. Rainn Wilson as Mario’s right
-hand-man adds punch to the script and keeps things
moving. “But where is this going?”, I asked myself.
Smooth, good-looking, Mario van Peebles, with a body
many would love to fondle; had my empathy
in the beginning. We are offered a peak into the
determination of his father as a strict single-minded
man hell bent on attaining his goal, which is
commendable, but had me feeling radical as a
black woman in today’s society.
In fact, there are so many perfect-shaped afros, that the
black and white clips from the original movie (of a semi
nude babe with hair shaped into a pineapple feature
from the night spent rolling around) is far more
interesting and real. Perfect afros being stereotypical of
Hollywood glamour, I became confused as to what was
being said here.
The music is fantastic, thanks to Tyler Bates; I look
forward to purchasing it for home entertainment.
Thumbs up for the photography too: Robert Primes,
captures the moods of the time with grace and colour
giving the picture a much needed depth.
For those interested in the history of black cult filmmaking, add this one to your archives as a reference.
Sunnie De Pass