More a series of sketches and action set pieces than a coherent movie, `A Low Down Dirty Shame' succeeds because it is basically good natured. That's pretty hard to imagine in a movie full of bloody violence and `trash talk,' but it is the same kind of good naturedness that made Keenan Ivory Wayan's other work so likeable `I'm Gonna Get Ya, Sucka, In Living Color'. I've never thought much of Wayans as an actor, but he has a gift few actors possess, i.e., the uncanny ability NOT to take himself seriously. He's relaxed and funny, even when much of what occurs around him is not. Wayan's the producer, on the other hand, can be quite edgy, and his work milks a lot of humor from negative stereotypes, particularly of his own race. It should be no secret that Wayans' work has a big following among white southerners, for reasons likely quite different than those of his black audience.
The action set pieces in `. . . Shame' are as impressive as anything in a Bruce Willis movie. That's saying a lot. Other than Wayans, the actors in `. . . Shame' play everything pretty broadly. Charles Dutton comes off the worst, a disappointment considering his impressive work in `Alien 3' and the TV series `Roc'. Salli Richardson, besides being luscious (a light-skinned Pam Grier, without the big tits) does a serviceable job. However, I could have done without `motormouth' Jada Pinkett. You guys who find her attractive in this movie get what you deserve. POSSIBLE SPOILER: The `twist' when Wayans suddenly becomes `supercool' seriously undermines the credibility of the movie. His firepower alone would equal a cop's annual salary. Throw in that wardrobe and car and one wonders whether Wayans was on the take, after all. However, this `twist' convinces me Wayans should have played John Shaft in the remake. NOTE TO PRODUCER WAYANS: YOU'RE NOT TOO OLD TO DO IT NOW! If the primary purpose of movies is to entertain, `A Low Down Dirty Shame' succeeds. You want plausibility? Look elsewhere.
The action set pieces in `. . . Shame' are as impressive as anything in a Bruce Willis movie. That's saying a lot. Other than Wayans, the actors in `. . . Shame' play everything pretty broadly. Charles Dutton comes off the worst, a disappointment considering his impressive work in `Alien 3' and the TV series `Roc'. Salli Richardson, besides being luscious (a light-skinned Pam Grier, without the big tits) does a serviceable job. However, I could have done without `motormouth' Jada Pinkett. You guys who find her attractive in this movie get what you deserve. POSSIBLE SPOILER: The `twist' when Wayans suddenly becomes `supercool' seriously undermines the credibility of the movie. His firepower alone would equal a cop's annual salary. Throw in that wardrobe and car and one wonders whether Wayans was on the take, after all. However, this `twist' convinces me Wayans should have played John Shaft in the remake. NOTE TO PRODUCER WAYANS: YOU'RE NOT TOO OLD TO DO IT NOW! If the primary purpose of movies is to entertain, `A Low Down Dirty Shame' succeeds. You want plausibility? Look elsewhere.