(https://s1.dmcdn.net/v/YrfA-1eZB_SQXC9Mz/x1080)
A detective is hired to track down a missing R&B singer in Michael Jai White's latest offering, a contemporary blaxploitation flick.
Unfortunately, that doesn't elevate Trouble Man above the 1,299 other low-budget, direct-to-video or streaming action duds MJW has cranked out over the years. Completed in 2023 and shelved for two years, make of that what you will.
In an effort to cut costs, White brought in YouTube stunt group Art School Dropouts to handle fight choreography, and cast fellow YouTuber and stunt performer Noah Fleder as one of the supporting main-ish villains. It shows.
The fight scenes are disappointingly flat, offering little in the way of excitement or creativity. At one point, MJW beats up real-life MMA fighter Terrence Hodges using a shoe—possibly intended as a joke, though Hodges' dismal fight record makes the scene more sad than funny.
One a sidenote, there's that quote from White I recall reading once, when asked why he always wins his on-screen fights: "That's why I always encourage my opponents to give it all during fight rehearsals." Ok Mike.
Rating: 0.5/5
For being dull, predictable, and those cringeworthy one-liners.
Quote from: claws on August 04, 2025, 10:09:53 AMOne a sidenote, there's that quote from White I recall reading once, when asked why he always wins his on-screen fights: "That's why I always encourage my opponents to give it all during fight rehearsals." Ok Mike.
Apparently The Rock and Vin Disel have the same thing in their contracts that they can't lose onscreen fights.
Quote from: WingedSerpent on August 17, 2025, 07:21:30 PMApparently The Rock and Vin Disel have the same thing in their contracts that they can't lose onscreen fights.
Having something like this in a contract just feels childish.
I've seen a few movies where Michael Jai White plays either a supporting role or the villain, and yet he somehow never loses a fight. It's almost funny how the filmmakers always find a way to avoid showing him defeated. Take One More Shot (2024), for example: White plays the bad guy opposite Scott Adkins. Their final showdown is supposed to be the big payoff the audience has been waiting for—but instead of a real conclusion, the fight ends abruptly when Adkins simply handcuffs White to a railing. Just like that. Moments later, the police arrive to arrest him. The whole resolution feels cheap and unsatisfying, and it basically ruins what little the movie had going for it.
So when I went into Trouble Man, I already knew exactly what to expect—which made the whole experience boring by default.