Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Coming attraction: ‘Never Back Down’

Pop quiz, y’all...

In the upcoming mixed-martial-arts flick “Never Back Down” (due in March), Djimon Hounsou portrays which of the following time-tested Hollywood racial archetypes?

A. Magical Negro

B. Wise Negro Mentor

C. Big Black Buck

D. Drug Dealer

E. Sacrificial Negro

The answer is contained in the trailer:

16 comments:

SJ said...

So he is the modern-day Mr. Miyagi? I guess a white guy can never fill that role.

This movie reminds me of the Karate Kid so much.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Yah. "Karate Kid" meets "The Fast and the Furious." That's probably how they pitched it.

Paul S. said...

The funny thing is I've only been watching Mixed Martial Arts for about a year now and these fight scenes look hilariously cheesey. It's like they hired a bunch of people who have never seen a single UFC show to make a movie about MMA.

bklyn6 said...

D. Drug Dealer

He'll be the one providing the 'roids. *snark*

Eric said...

Yeah, MMA without all that ugly "ground fighting" stuff that just happens to be what tends to win matches.

Anonymous said...

Is that all the archetypes you could come up with? How about these?:

1. African-American Best Friend

2. Sidekick

3. Gibbering Clown

4. Credit to his Race

5. Sit-on-the-Couch Mama

Undercover Black Man said...

^ We could go all day, anon...

Gruff Police Lieutenant

Cocky Athlete

Sassy Servant

Adam said...

Loved him as Magical Negro in Jim Sheridan's IN AMERICA.

Undercover Black Man said...

I never did see "In America," Adam. I thought he played Credit to His Race. ;^)

Anonymous said...

Dear UBM:
Djimon was the ULTIMATE Magic Negro in that one. He not only helped the poor white family by *SPOILER* dying for their sick newborn (soul exchange i guess) but then he left them *SPOILER* all his money as he was an AIDS ridden artiste living in a tenement. good times.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Wow... Magical Negro, Sacrificial Negro and Credit to His Race.

Browne Molyneux said...

I'm not going to even look at the trailer, it's got to be the Magical Negro.

A. Magical Negro

Browne

odocoileus said...

There's a formula.

Put the pretty young white people in the foreground, and put the black people/asians/latins in the second tier.

Works like a charm. Just ask Shonda Rhimes.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Ease up on Shonda. You gotta do what you gotta do to get a show sold in Hollywood.

Jennifer said...

I blame Kimora. :)

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Jennifer, welcome here.