It starts at home from his younger brother, Richie, who constantly tells him he’s not Black enough to hang with him in public.
Even though it seems to be in a very authentic way, he never stops receiving grief for it. So now we have a nemesis, and a love interest, but where does the commentary on racial identity fit in? Leroy is a 20 something Black man living in Harlem, who has immersed himself in Asian culture. Leroy saves Laura from a possible kidnapping from deranged music producer Eddie Arkadian, and she offers Leroy a job as her bodyguard. Laura is played by Prince protege, Vanity, aka Denise Matthews. While on this journey, Leroy meets TV video host, Laura Charles. Leroy is uninterested in fighting this man for street cred. Sho’Nuff challenges our young hero to fight for the title of total supremacy. Sho’Nuff, played by Julius Carry, likes to enter the scene using a call and response opening from his gang of misfits. Legend has it that Leroy can catch bullets with his teeth! This pisses off the self proclaimed master martial artist, Sho’Nuff. The neighborhood is very much aware of his martial arts talents. Leroy needs to find Sum Dum Goy, who will help him find ultimate wisdom, thus receiving The Glow. His whole body will GLOW! Leroy has completed his training, so his sensei gives him a gold medallion which supposedly once belonged to Bruce Lee. His goal is to become a master martial artist with the ability to channel the power of The Glow. I’m sure that brings its own set of problems in 1980s Harlem. Leroy, a timid soul, dresses mainly in Bruce Lee cosplay. “Bruce” Leroy Green Jr, played by Taimak Guarriello, lives, breathes and eats Asian culture, especially martial arts. If you are of the camp that has no clue what I’m talking about, here is a quick breakdown of the movie. It’s a Kung-Fu-fighting-comic-book-video-game set to an extremely 80s soundtrack with a commentary on racial identity.
This movie is just about everything it can be in 1 hour and 49 mins. And here was one that was immersed in Black culture. Martial arts films have usually done well with Black audiences. I say limited because as a child, your circle is mostly family, classmates and whatever kid lives next door. As a child, this film was all anyone in my limited circle could talk about. Why is this random person, who is more than likely Black, of my tribe? Because they would have known that I was referencing the 1985 cult classic film, Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon. But if just one person answers, “Sho’Nuff!”, I would have found my tribe. If I were to ask, “Who’s the master?”, without segue, in mixed company, I could be met with very different reactions.
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