| Director: | Michael Jai White |
| Cinematography: | Keith L. Smith |
| Music: | Michael Bearden |
| Studio: | Jaigantic Studios |
| Distributor: | Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| Runtime: | 135 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Gross: | $319,848 |
Outlaw Johnny Black is a 2023 American western comedy film directed by Michael Jai White, who co-wrote the script with Byron Keith Minns. It is a spiritual sequel to Black Dynamite, with White and Minns reprising their roles. It was released theatrically on September 15, 2023, and received mixed reviews from film critics. It is also the final film appearance of Erica Ash due to her death in 2024.[1] [2]
Johnny Black is a saint turned sinner, who is hell-bent on avenging his father's death. Johnny Black vows to gun down Brett Clayton and becomes a wanted man in the process, all while posing as a preacher in a small mining town that's been taken over by a notorious land baron.
Outlaw Johnny Black was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on September 15, 2023.[3] In the United States and Canada it opened to $178,176 in 307 theaters, and grossed a total of $319,848.[4]
Joe Leydon of Variety wrote that the film was "not nearly as free-wheeling and fleet-footed as Black Dynamite, the 2009 satirical comedy that cast White as a Shaft-like action hero, the new film nonetheless provides more than a few good laughs, even when it seems to be taking horse opera clichés a tad too respectfully, and showcases a fine cast of actors dedicated to both the silliness and the seriousness of the enterprise".[5] RogerEbert.com Rendy Jones gave the film a score of two and half out of four and wrote, "Though it takes too long to get his gun out, Outlaw Johnny Black is a well-crafted and funny Spaghetti Western comedy with a refreshing goofiness and a delightful lead".[6]
Sarah-Tai Black writing for Los Angeles Times said, "Overall, Outlaw Johnny Black mostly seems unsure of how to navigate its Monty Python-inspired parodic impulses alongside its clear reverence for the genre. Instead, White has offered a jumbled array of all-too-well-trod tropes and stereotypes that, all in all, can’t seem to hit the mark in terms of finding the sweet spot of being "so bad it’s good"."[7] Writing for The New York Times, Brandon Yu felt the film "struggles to establish a comedic rhythm" and went on to say "the laughs are lost within an overly long, meandering plot and scenes that miss visual polish or comedic concision".[8]