Black review (Blu-ray) ★★★

Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars MC Jean Gab'1, Carole Karemera, Francois Levantal, Anton Yakovlev, Christophe Aquillon, Ludovic Berthillot,
Laurent Larrieu, Thierno Ndiaye, Ibrahima Mbaye, Michel B. Duperial | Written by Lucio Mad & Gabor Rassov
UK Certification 15 | UK RRP £19.99 | BR Region B | Runtime 108 minutes | Directed by Pierre Laffargue

Director Laffargue may indeed be one to watch out for in the future, as his very first feature film is an impressive genre-busting effort that plays out like a straight-up heist movie for much of its running time, only to then rather abruptly and unexpectedly dive into the realm of the supernatural.

French hip-hop artist MC Jean Gab'1 (who also contributes to the soundtrack) delivers a refined, three-dimensional performance in the title role as an armed and dangerous criminal who, on the tail end of a bank robbery that went awry and cost the lives of his accomplices, heads to the Senegalese capital of Dakar with the intention of killing two birds with one stone: losing his heat with the lawmen of Paris and pulling off one last heist – involving an abundance of smuggled diamonds – that will see him filthy rich and retired.

But just like his stunt in the City of Love, trouble lurks around every corner and what seems like a relatively simple job at first – stealing a briefcase of ice from a bank with worn out security measures – quickly becomes more and more complicated from the moment Black sets foot in Dakar with his band of thieves, and it turns out that they're not the only ones who have caught a whiff of the rocks.

The cast is strong throughout, often hamming it up and playing to the fun nature of the film, which may take some viewers by surprise, especially when it begins to get very strange towards the end and the climactic showdown is revealed not to be a grand stand-off with police as you may be anticipating, but the fulfilling of an ancient prophecy which sees Black and a female interpol agent, both with the abilities and characteristics of a lion and panther respectively, battle a Russian arms dealer who has turned into, for lack of a better term, a snake-man.

The supernatural element is certainly weird, but it gives the film its own identity and sets it apart from other heist movies. With its slick action, editing, funky soundtrack and scenic shots of a sun-kissed West Africa, Black is an enjoyable thriller with a neo-blaxploitation vibe running right through it from the start, where it kicks off with a number of establishing shots of Paris in sync with a modern remix of the epic 2001: A Space Odyssey theme tune from the film's iconic opening. You won't be hard-pressed to find something you like with this fantastical French squeaker.

EXTRAS ? Just the trailer.

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