Director(s) – Sean Weathers (They All Must Die!) and Aswad Issa (Scumbag Hustler)
Starring – Sean Weathers, David A. Bynoe (Troy From Brooklyn), and Waliek Crandall (Celebrity Ghost Stories)
Release Date – 2015
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “You’re nobody till somebody kills you”
Ace Jackson is a Dead Man is a sleazy blaxploitation film from sleazy blaxploitation masters Sean Weathers and Aswad Issa. Director Sean Weathers is a man I became familiar with a few years ago when MVD sent me two of his films to review and the following week they sent over two more copies of the same films which resulted in a giveaway on the site. Since then he has kept me up to date with his projects with last year’s film Scumbag Hustler being my favorite of his so far.
The film gives us a lot of the charm of late 60s and 70s blaxploitation films but it does not glamorize them like the films of the time did. Instead, these films are raw and real putting the characters in the middle of many problems the black/African American population faces on a daily basis. A few weeks ago Weathers reached out to me to check out his newest film Ace Jackson is a Dead Man. I jumped at the idea and I want to thank Sean for giving me a chance to check it out!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows petty drug dealer Ace Jackson who has a style all his own and peddles drugs for the local drug king pin. His boss entrusts a large amount of drugs to him to sell over the weekend. Ace takes it back to his place that he shares with a prostitute that he delusionally believes is his girlfriend.
He leaves it in her care and hits the streets. When he returns he discovers she is gone and now needs to come up with the money before he has a bullet put through his skull. He hits the street to hustle where he meets an innocent, young girl who her cons into selling twat on the street corner to raise the money. While this is going on, his boss calls his cousin and convinces him to kill Ace or his ass is next.**Spoiler Alert**
Blaxploitation was a style of films made famous in the late 60s and early 70s featuring an all black cast put in over-dramatic situations and usually filled with martial arts action. Blaxploitation is still around in one form or another but there is nothing like the style of blaxploitation films that comes from the mind of Sean Weathers. His blaxploitation films are always sleazy and full of desperation which always shows the worst side of people in their most desperate time.
The acting in this one is actually a bit of an improvement over the previous films I had seen from Weathers. At the front of the film is Weathers himself and he does a damn good job at playing a real piece of shit. The remainder of the cast is able to pull together decent characters but Weathers is the star of the show and his character does not let you forget that.
The story for this one is one we have seen before and is almost the same as Scumbag Hustler where Weathers portrays another self-centered piece of shit that only cares for himself. However, this one has a little bit more once you get below the surface but it is still not that detailed or deep. One thing it is though is entertaining.
Finally, those looking for blood and gore clearly have no idea what a blaxploitation film is. The film does not have any on screen kills or gore but it does deliver on an entertaining story and a talented cast. Overall, Ace Jackson is a Dead Man is the perfect example of underground film making. The film is sleazy as hell and has a superb cast with a great story to tell. Though it may not be that original it still hits hard. Check it out.
