A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994)

Pretty Good

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

When everyone in the 1970s was introduced to the film "Shaft", it gave a great example of the African-American action hero--a cop or ex-cop who is destined to take out the bad guys. All of this inspiration from "Shaft" comes in "A Low Down Dirty Shame". Like "Shaft", "Low Down" has a cop or ex-cop, as well as action-packed sequences, like gunfights and fist fights, and this modernization from the former flick made "A Low Down Dirty Shame" make its positive impact.But there are a few twists. Keanon Ivory Wayans plays the role of Shame, who is actually an investigator who has ties to the DEA and retired as a cop. And instead of the common .38 revolver, his favorite service weapon is the 9mm Beretta. He has his sidekick, a friend named Peaches (played by Jada Pinkett at that time before she became Jada Pinkett-Smith). Shame runs his own private investigation business.So, as the story unfolds, a DEA mole named Sonny invites Shame to take on a mission to capture Ernesto Mendoza, a Mexican narcotrafficker who had a strong romance interest with character Angela Flowers, who was attempting to try to beckon Mendoza to turn himself in.The start of this focused on Shame's remembrances with Angela in the past. He mentions that she wears Covenant perfume, and basically goes on the mend to find her exactly. He does find her in one of the apartments with a bit of a police trick, and calls Sonny to try to get her to turn Mendoza in to the authorities, but regrettably, Angela said that she was on the run because a potential hit by a drug gang is imminent. This is when Sonny drops the ball but not at her...Angela was tipped, and Shame knows this. They escape the apartment as the drug gang comes in to try the death wish attempt...they confront the armed gang, and was able to escape with their lives.At Ernesto Mendoza's compound, the gang comes back home along with Sonny, and Ernesto gets upset. Sonny then rails at Ernesto that what he did will put Ernesto in trouble...and Shame was the main fly in the ointment for all of the trouble. Ernesto then does a knife slash on one of the gang members--the one who messed up the hit on Shame and Angela, and orders Sonny to get Shame.Then, Shame arms himself to the death to try to reverse the tide. He starts by forcing a low-level member of Ernesto's drug gang, Luis, to tell where Mendoza is. Little did Luis did not know that he ran into a White Supremacist rally to find that out. With that psychological torture, Luis was able to tell Shame where he was--at a nightclub. And he does. He likes to do tricks to get what he wants.Another scene I liked was the confrontation between Sonny and Angela at the shopping mall. Sonny had his gun drawn at him after Angela found the drug money. She is forced to step away and Sonny realizes that the money was real. Then, taking out of a page from the "James Bond" movies, Angela undresses her top, and reveals a full-figured black bra. But Sonny was smart, deciding not to take Angela's trick, but despite that, another ugly surprise..Angela then displays a gun from her back but Sonny did not even realize it...he gets hit several times as Sonny was about to use his gun to fire him back. Then a coup-de-grace shot by her finishes him off. So she killed Sonny so she can get the money.The final fight between Mendoza and Shame was something. Shame finally brings Mendoza down after a fight that resembled a dirty street fight and Muay Thai martial arts....and arrests him but the loud bang from a bullet kills Mendoza...but it was Angela who did it, not Shame. Now, she is going to kill Shame but from behind, Peaches, with her karate skills, was able to finish off Angela before Angela could kill off Shame.Then, you hear Peaches' love for soap operas as the movie is about to approach the final credits. So basically, when I flash back, Peaches loves television so much--that's the reason why she loves soap operas.

I'm sure this movie wasn't done with "we're gonna win an academy award with this one!" intentions it doesn't take itself too seriously & was done to entertain & it did just that! Trust me all the negative criticism & unnecessary flack this movie got was totally unwarranted & was done by people who have NO taste for GREAT entertainment! That being said this movie is one of my favourite comedy/action flicks..it is FUNNNNNNNNNY & the ACTION is steadily paced & EXPLOSIVE there isn't a dull moment in this one guys.Jada Pinkett was too cute not to mention hilarious in this movie & her personality amped this film up nicely.The guy who played Louise was very funny & of course the oldest Wayans brother Keenan (the star)delivered too.Lol the guy who played Wayman was a riot as well. In my head I'm trying to pick out a favourite moment from this movie & I can't!..the whole movie was a BLAST & if you haven't seen it yet you're wasting time..seriously! It's one of the best films in the comedy/action genre & fans of both individual genres WON'T be disappointed either..so if you haven't seen it yet do yourself a favour & check it out you won't regret it! 10 out of 10 stars!

Shame is a former cop who, in an attempt to be different, is now a private detective with, would you believe it, loads of debts, a bedraggled appearance and a bagload of quips and smartassed remarks. When old friend Rothmiller offers him a job to track down a criminal who Shame believes he had killed. He takes the case for personal as much as financial reasons and soon finds himself in a whole world of trouble. Meanwhile his secretary Peaches, tries to help him but the sexual tension between them also proves to be a distraction.I must admit that I expected very little from this film and, truth be told, it delivered exactly what I expected from it – very little. From the title I knew it was aiming to be a comedy that would homage the idea of Shaft and other such movies – I didn't think that it would aim for spoof because it appeared to be more affectionate than that. This in itself is not a terrible thing but unfortunately it doesn't do anything very well and only succeeds in being a very basic piece of entertainment. The dramatic plot is important to it since it does try to be a thriller of sorts; sadly it doesn't work as it has too little substance and too much in the way of lazy writing and sweeping dramatic clichés.These clichés are also to be found in the characters. Shame is totally by-the-numbers; Peaches is a typically sassy black woman cliché; there is a tough police sergeant etc etc. Wayans is OK and fits the title role but, aside from some nice lines he really doesn't make the role his own. Pinkett is sexy and all but really she is yet another person reinforcing the "neck-jerking, finger-clicking" cliché of black women that is forced fed to us in too many media outlets. Dutton has little to do and Divoff is a pretty obvious bad guy. The cast all try but to be honest the material just isn't there dramatically or for the comedy and there is little the cast can do to cover for that – however it is hard to defend a performance from Hawkins that verges on being offensive.Overall this is very basic distraction that may just about do you if you are in an undemanding mood for a vaguely amusing but derivative detective movie. The script, plot and characters are overwhelmed by cliché and nothing actually works that well at all. Basic, Friday night stuff but certainly not worth staying in for.

"A Low Down Dirty Shame" is a hysterically funny and action packed movie that is a must see! Most movies that try to blend comedy and action usually fail, but not this movie. This movie delivers equally on both counts. Watch this film, you will not be disappointed.