Rating: ***
Review Date: 8/2/25
Director: Michael Jai White
Cast: Michael Jai White, Cliff Smith, Gillian White, Levy Tran
"I don't like that word. Use motherfucker if you have to."
Jaxen (Michael Jai White) is a former cop and bodyguard who now runs security at a nightclub and does odd jobs on the side. Usually the kind that require a little muscle and intimidation. When a singer is kidnapped, her record label hires Jaxen to find her, which pulls him into a dangerous web of conspiracy and dirty deals.
"Trouble Man" is a delightfully refreshing and straight forward actioner that evokes the spirit of 70's blaxploitation. It's not related to the 1972 Robert Hooks film, but it takes a lot of cues from the films of that era. The writing is excellent and the humor is smart and subtle. Michael Jai White's performance is superb and his delivery is totally on point. He radiates charisma and also looks great in a suit. The fight choreography is great, although the execution occasionally looks slow and sluggish. Apart from one set-up that doesn't follow through and a disappointing climax, it's a nearly flawless film. Honestly, if it weren't for the final rooftop fight, I'd be tempted to give the film four stars based on how pure and focused it is. The problem with that scene isn't the fight itself (which is quite good), but the fact that it was shot on a virtual set and the digital compositing looks terrible. It really takes you out of the experience and makes you cringe. It's really unfortunate, because the sword fight with Levy Tran is fantastic, but it would have looked so much better if it had been shot on a physical set rather than a virtual one.
The supporting actors are great and Gillian White makes a wonderful and worthwhile love interest. She has a riveting Wing Chun exchange with Jaxen, so it's disappointing that she doesn't get to do any other fighting in the film. Levy Tran makes an excellent adversary and is an excellent fighter. It's just unfortunate that her makeup is so extreme, but I suppose that's how we can identify her as the bad guy, right? And like I mentioned, her big fight is spoiled by janky digital compositing. Her defeat is also cheated by having her fall behind a car instead of crashing on top of it, which goes against convention and robs the viewer of some extra destruction. Sadly, the post-credits scene makes this situation even more ridiculous.
Like the last Michael Jai White film that I saw, I had to drive an hour out of my way to find a theater that was showing it, but I'm glad I made the effort because it was totally worth it. Sadly, there were only two people in the theater, which was great for me, but not so great for the movie. Definitely worth checking out if you're a 70's action movie fan.