The RZA’s powder keg new film, “One Spoon of Chocolate”, had its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and the night was nothing short of electric.  RZA briefly introduced the film, as only he can. Walking to the podium, the rapper/producer/director leaned into the microphone and began with, “Microphone check. 1-2. 1-2!”, firing up the already excited crowd in the OKX Theater located within the Borough of Manhattan Community College Performing Arts Center. After the brief intro, The RZA left the stage, the auditorium darkened, and for the next hour and fifty-two minutes, the Tribeca audience of press, ticket holders, and various members of the cast and crew were taken on a wild, homage-filled, crowd-pleasing cinematic ride.

The RZA has been working on the story since he completed his 2012 Martial arts movie, “The Man With the Iron Fists.” After some years, the filmmaker was able to complete the screenplay and expand his original idea into something bolder and more socially relevant. In the post-screening conversation with film critic Elvis Mitchell, RZA spoke to his philosophy on how a film should “entertain, provoke, and inspire.” His first comment when returning to the stage was to ask the audience if they were uncomfortable during certain moments in the film. There was a united acknowledgment from the auditorium, as “One Spoon of Chocolate” is a project that delivers on its director’s three-level mantra. This one will undoubtedly provoke a myriad of feelings from its audience, while its tale of revenge will entertain fans of the genre pictures of the 1970s and 80s. Those who wish to become filmmakers will find inspiration in The RZA’s clever use of the film styles that inspired him and his skillful balance of full-force, violent entertainment with themes that speak to the real-time social issues of 2025 America.

An excellent Shameik Moore (who was equally great in The RZA’s “Cut Throat City” from 2020) stars as Unique, a man who has been released from prison after serving time for assault. Achieving parole, Unique meets with his parole officer, (the always welcome presence, Blair Underwood) who eventually sees something more inside the young man, beyond his felony convictions. Both men served in the Armed Forces, which allows Underwood’s by-the-book P.O. to soften a bit towards Unique and grant his request to live out his five-year parole in his small Ohio hometown; a place run by White racists who permeate every level of local law enforcement, government, and local business. This is a town where the residents find it natural to refer to all Black men as “boy”.

Returning to his birthplace, Unique goes to the house where he grew up, now occupied by his cousin, Ramsey (an endearing RJ Tyler). The two are close and recapture their bond immediately. Ramsey has preserved Unique’s house and even put his name on the lease so no one can take it away from him. For a man with anger issues who has just left prison after being wrongfully convicted for assaulting a man who was beating up a woman, life just may be turning in Unique’s favor. Until…

On day one, Ramsey and Unique play basketball at the local rec center. Enter a gang of racist White thugs led by the diminutive but dangerous Jessie (a dangerous James Lee Thomas). After a barrage of racist slurs hurled towards the two Black men, Unique unleashes his martial arts/military training skills on this unfortunate band of Nazi wannabes. Breaking bones and noses, Unique and Ramsey (who gets some good shots in as well), send their attackers packing.

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Such a setup would lead one to believe that The RZA has set the tone for a standard tale of heroes versus thugs. The film and its creator are too brilliant for that. While what follows is a tale of bloody vengeance, it isn’t that simple. As “One Spoon of Chocolate” unfolds, the screenplay reveals deeper intentions. Many moments mirror what certain factions of today’s society have become. Ultimately, the film can be seen as an acknowledgment of modern America’s violent divide and how the country is dangerously close to entering a place of sociopolitical destruction from which we will never recover.

Jessie and his gang return to their home base with bloodied and bruised egos to report the news to their leader, Jimmy (an all-in Harry Goodwins), who is the son of the town’s racist Sheriff (Michael J. Harney, one of today’s most reliable character actors). Living in a warehouse turned into a hub for storing weapons, training to kill Black people, and partying with booze and prostitutes; Jimmy seems to live a life dedicated to wiping the Black race from the planet any chance he gets. Arming themselves with baseball bats, Jimmy leads his bunch to find Unique and Ramsey. Once they track them down at a local convenience store, what occurs will lead to an accidental vehicular death, deadly confrontations, and a race against time to save the lives of Unique, Ramsey and his girlfriend (Emyri Crutchfield, sidestepping conventions), and Darla (Paris Jackson) a woman who comes into Unique’s life in a dramatically interesting manner.

It would not be fair to expound on where the film goes from here. The RZA has many inventive shocks and surprises up his creative sleeves. Let’s just say that, early in the film, Unique meets a strange man on a bus, played by musician Jason Isbell, who gives him a how-to manual on survival. From there, the movie becomes the type of cheer-inducing visceral experience that is so rare in today’s films.

Anyone who follows The RZA’s film and music career understands his love of genre movies. His heart belongs to the classic Asian Kung-fu cinema, but the versatile artist has a supreme love for Blaxploitation pictures and the type of defiantly violent revenge tales that used to flood the Times Square theaters of the 1970s. “One Spoon of Chocolate” is imbued with the spirit of such films. Ossie Davis’ 1973 “Gordon’s War”, Gordon Parks Jr.’s 1974 classic “Three the Hard Way”, and Arthur Marks’ “Bucktown” from 1975 are the best examples of works whose inspiration can be found within RZA’s screenplay. The picture is full of hat-tips to films and filmmakers he admires (Red Apple cigarettes make a quick appearance), but the director refuses to use his homages as a crutch. The RZA has a story to tell about being a Black man in America, the racism that bleeds into men in power, and the corruption that has allowed the continued suppression of the Black communities (and other peoples of color) for hundreds of years.

The screenplay doesn’t waste its ideas. The Rza creates interesting and relatable three-dimensional characters in the form of Unique, Ramsey, and the main cast, whom the audience can root for. Some viewers may cry “stereotype!” regarding the design of the villains, but this would be incorrect. If the last decade-plus has taught us anything, it is that narrow-minded, angry racists with simplistic vocabularies and even lower I.Q.s do walk among us, with some of them finding their way into positions of power. The bad guys in this one are seen yelling many levels of racist garbage and constantly talking about how to rid their town of anyone who isn’t White. Put them in suits, place them in The White House and Congress, and give them the same dialogue. No one would bat an eye, as this is the modern-day nightmare we see on the news every day.

RZA

A flotilla of cleverness flows through the river of Rza’s vision as the filmmaker has fun taking jabs at some of the more twisted aspects of society. The Ohio town where Unique returns is named “Karenville.” Jessie and his band of racist thugs talk a mean game but get their asses handed to them at almost every turn (the fate of the over-confident Confederacy). The system designed to keep all people of color down and imprisoned is run by fools who are easily outwitted. Behind their false bravado lies an easily defeatable fallibility. There is always something happening in RZA’s screenplay. Even in the quiet moments, the themes are there, breathing just under the surface.

And along comes the action. RZA and his stunt coordinators create some explosive and well-designed fights, shootouts, and car crashes. As with any Blaxploitation or revenge movie worth its salt, the badass vibe kicks in, and the hero gets his chance to do his thing. When Unique rises in rebellion, bodies bleed, break, and turn cold in an array of expertly choreographed encounters made all the more intense by the pulsing, old-style score from Tyler Bates, the precisely framed cinematography from Brandon Cox, and Joe D’Augustine’s sharp editing.

Shameik Moore is explosive in his action scenes, while his overall performance is the type of work that makes movie stars. The actor gives Unique blunt honesty and a sweet soul. His scenes with Paris Jackson have a palpable tenderness. Moore finds the purity inherent in his character. Unique is a troubled man, one who wants the chance to live an honest life and find someone who will recognize his good heart.

The RZA’s fourth feature obeys the three rules set down by its director and does so with grit and style. While this may be the type of film that will divide audiences, that’s just the way he’ll want it, probably. Remember, one of his rules regarding his art is to provoke.

Modern cinema needs more films with the boldness of “One Spoon of Chocolate” and we need more directors with the unstoppable fire of RZA.