One Spoon of Chocolate

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One Spoon of Chocolate

RZA directs a bloody thriller about revenge for racism, with Tarantino cheering from the producer’s chair

After being released from prison, war veteran Randy “Unique” Joneson arrives in a small Ohio town, where he soon becomes a target of the local fascists. “One Spoon of Chocolate” is a bloody homage to blaxploitation, kung fu and grindhouse cinema, combining gore, black humour, uncompromising violence and the aesthetic of VHS tapes with the energy of hip-hop. The film is written and directed by RZA, with Quentin Tarantino serving as executive producer.

After being released from prison, war veteran Randy “Unique” Joneson arrives in a small Ohio town to start over at his cousin Ramsee’s house. Beneath its seemingly peaceful surface, however, the town lives under the boot of a racist sheriff and his men. Young Black residents are disappearing without a trace, and when their bodies turn up, their organs are missing. When Unique and Ramsee clash with the local racists, the violence escalates and they become targets of the town’s homegrown fascists. But Unique is tired of constantly fighting for dignity and a little peace and quiet. He decides to take on the sheriff, his men and, if necessary, the whole damn world. The town becomes the stage for a bloody spectacle, while Unique puts his future and a newfound love on the line.

“One Spoon of Chocolate” is a juicy blend of blaxploitation, kung fu, grindhouse and classic 1970s exploitation cinema. It takes everything most outrageous about these genres and turns it up to eleven: larger-than-life villains, brutal violence, gore, sex, black humour and a hero who responds to injustice not by turning the other cheek, but with fists and a hail of bullets. The film knowingly evokes the spirit of such titles as “Walking Tall”, “White Lightning” and “In the Heat of the Night”, filtering them through the sensibility of a filmmaker raised as much on hip-hop as on VHS tapes filled with genre movies. The result is a pulpy, bloody fantasy of role reversal, in which a Black protagonist steps into the place traditionally occupied by the heroes of revenge cinema. Beneath all the gleeful exploitation excess, however, lies genuine anger at racism and violence, keeping the film from being merely a nostalgic exercise in genre play. This is dirty, brutal and self-aware filmmaking.

“One Spoon of Chocolate” is the latest directorial effort from RZA, leader of Wu-Tang Clan, who also wrote and directed the film and created its score together with Tyler Bates. Randy “Unique” is played by Shameik Moore, alongside R. J. Cyler, Blair Underwood, Paris Jackson, Michael Harney and Harry Goodwins. The film’s executive producer is Quentin Tarantino, whose shared love of genre cinema and playful approach to genre conventions makes him a natural fit for RZA’s vision.