Less than a decade ago, writer and director Jason Krawczyk delivered a horror comedy movie titled He Never Died, which introduced viewers to Jack, an immortal character played by Henry Rollins, who has been around for thousands of years and does his best to abstain from indulging in vampiric cannibalism. Jack later turned out to be biblical Cain, cursed by God to walk the Earth forever due to his sin of fratricide. It was good stuff with real franchise potential, with planned sequels and a miniseries. Sadly, however, the franchise never had a lift-off.
So, what happens when a writer and director who delivered a gem such as He Never Died becomes frustrated with the fact that his fantastic idea doesn’t catch on? He goes to direct yet another gem in which he gets to enjoy Michael Jai White punch as many people as possible during its screentime — and he does so for personal satisfaction. Enter, Don’t Mess with Grandma, or as Jason Krawczyk likes to call it, “Sunset Superman.”
Don’t Mess with Grandma is reminiscent of those old Tom & Jerry cartoons in which Tom is trying to capture Jerry; Jerry usually keeps beating Tom up, but Tom can’t make a sound so as not to wake Spike, the bulldog, up. Well, that’s basically the plot of Don’t Mess with Grandma, in which Michael Jai White plays Jasper, or J.T., a departure from the rugged, clean-cut role we’ve grown to expect from White — the exception being his portrayal of Black Dynamite in the same-name blaxploitation action comedy movie.
Instead, Don’t Mess with Grandma casts White as a sleeveless denim-wearing, Dio-obsessed elderly care worker with a dodgy knee working at Trusted Trays, a Meals on Wheels type of service. However, the movie catches up with J.T., who is dealing with a particularly frustrating elderly, for whom he has a soft spot: his own grandma, who also likes to read romance fiction. In the opening scenes of the movie, J.T. comes over to share a meal with Granny, fix her leaking sink, and use the opportunity to try to convince her to relocate from her home to an assisted living residence.
As with any elderly person, this is a difficult subject to broach. However, the most troublesome part of the evening is having to deal with a group of masked thieves targeting his nana’s house, all the while keeping dear old gran oblivious to the home invasion taking place. The thieves, led by Billy Zane’s unstable character Stan and sporting The Three Little Pigs masks, quickly come across this “Terminator dude” who repeatedly takes them out with ease, with some help from the family dog.
Despite all the violence, the snapping kicks, and the loss of teeth, the movie retains a lighthearted and humorous tone throughout, with thieves trying to get inside the house in pursuit of some hidden treasure while J.T. tries his best to keep them out. However, instead of sporting a brooding personality as he did in Blood & Bone, Michael Jai White’s J.T. is seemingly just a regular guy with a knockout punch who’s more than able to handle the robbers’ repeated attempts while also trying his best not to inflict unnecessary damage.
At the same time, J.T. is trying to keep everything a secret from his nonna, who remains oblivious to the physical violence that happens in her vicinity throughout the movie. Eventually, the movie reveals why J.T. is so good at “handling” home invaders and why the thieves are so hellbent on robbing his grandma. All in all, it’s a fantastic and entertaining piece of cinematography that provides plenty of laughs for the audience.
Jason Krawczyk reportedly drew the inspiration for Don’t Mess with Grandma from Big Trouble in Little China for this movie, writing it specifically with Michael Jai White in mind for the lead role. Unbeknownst to him, Michael Jai White, who was unaware of the writer/director’s intentions, used Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China as an inspiration for J.T. And he did a wonderful job, considering that he spent much of his career pigeonholed as a hard-hitting action star.
Anyone who has taken a deep dive into his filmography knows that there’s a lot more to Michael Jai White than just fancy spin kicks, stunts, and concussive punches. He’s a genuine martial artist and holds seven legitimate (not honorary) black belts in different styles of karate, as well as Taekwondo, Kobudo, and Wushu. He entered cinema history as the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture — we are, of course, referring to his portrayal of Al Simmons/Spawn in 1997’s Spawn.
Fortunately, this isn’t just another action flick, and there’s a real possibility for J.T. to become one of the best characters that he has ever played. Don’t Mess with Grandma premiered at Fantastic Fest in September, and it’s scheduled to arrive on the Tubi streaming service in November 2024. Â