An outstanding documentary on the "Godfather of Soul (and all the other names he made up for himself)." This is not a film where all the interviewees bend and pucker to JB's backside, and reminisce on how the celebrity is the best thing since the pop-top canned beer can. "Mr. Dynamite" is about a very driven, egotistical man, an unabashed self-promoter, a perfectionist, a control freak, a deadbeat (sometimes his band was not paid for either both live performances and studio sessions), someone who didn't' appreciate (but took credit for) the influence his musicians had on the music, and was a committer of domestic violence. But he man instinctively understood how to play to an audience of any race color or creed.James Brown spent his formative years in poverty. His mother left the family when he was four years old. His father left when he was six. He took refuge with an aunt, who operated a whorehouse. He sang and danced in front of the whorehouse for nickels and dimes, which people passing by would throw on the ground. He was caught stealing and sentenced eight years. The formative years can stay with a person, and he is described later in life as "lonely." He didn't trust anybody. If your mother abandons a child at four, and a father abandoned a child at six, the child might inherently not trust anyone. The documentary also gives credit to his positive activity in the civil rights movement. On this subject, JB and others failed. What' the latest death rate by shooting in Chicago? But he tried his damnist, as he always did. JB championed picking yourself up by your bootstraps ("I don't want nobody to give me nothing/open up the door/I'll get it myself") rather than government handouts. Despite his personal demons and other mental frailties - The man was a genius. A true original.

Whoa-great documentary!

Brilliant documentary on an entertainment genius.The story of James Brown, singer, songwriter and showman extraordinaire. From his life growing up in abject poverty, to his rise to fame and his influence on music. Wonderfully made. Contains some rare footage of James Brown concerts and you can feel the dynamism of his performance and sheer exuberance of the show. Could there ever have been someone with a greater stage presence? Some quite illuminating interviews from people who he worked with - former band members mostly - and people he influenced. Not your usual empty, fawning interviews but genuine, candid, well thought-out, insightful interviews with people who know what they are talking about.Not just about the music. Shows his work for the civil rights movement and in the black community. Demonstrates well the high regard to which he was held in those groups.Fantastic.

This is a really great doc about the early life and rise to fame of James Brown. An interesting look into his career and how he "lived the gimmick" and micro - manage a lot of aspects of his career.

Just when I thought this movie couldn't get any better, up pops Bootsy Collins. If you mostly think of James Brown in recent years, the bullfrog-bellied "Living in America" red, white, and blue suit, or the crazy-haired mug shot, then this movie will dazzle you. It's not a total whitewash, either: you can see in many examples how he was a tough sonofabitch, especially with his band. But I could have used another full hour on his ignominious fall--the guns, the violence, the jail time. Instead, it ends too abruptly in the mid-seventies (or, as Questlove calls them, "the mustache years") and then with a montage of all the modern people whom Brown influenced. More, please!

A damn good documentary.

Fantastic documentary and companion piece to the slightly inferior 'Get On Up' biopic. This doc features the faces and voices of those who 'knew him'. Contributions from Bootsy, Maceo, Fred Wesley and right hand man Emcee Danny Ray who is now requiring subtitles to be understood.

Enjoyed this and after seeing Prince on SNL Saturday, he is in many ways the heir apparent. Brown was neglected as a child which led him to behave the way he did--abusing women, screwing his band out of royalties/pay and endorsing Nixon. Madison people will enjoy the Clyde Stubblefield stuff, Boston folks the footage of Brown's concert after MLK's assassination (includes Mayor Kevin White's comments). Mick Jagger admits he cribbed many of his moves from Brown, Chuck D. et al. pay homage to "Mr. Brown"'s contributions to breakbeats & samples in hip-hop. Good stuff.

Great documentary about Soul Brother #1

Absolutely incredible documentary about James Brown and his music career but also his activism.

While the 2014 documentary Mr. Dynamite: the Rise Of James Brown claims to explore Brown's beginnings in its title, it actually goes much further.

His fans will also get a kick out watching him sing, dance, and showboat as only he knew how to do. But if you don't care for the singer or his music, chances are that you'll lose interest in it before it's over.

There's a lot see here, including the birth of funk and some candor from the band.

Alex Gibney's Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown is an assured threading-of-the-needle, slowly working its way to the sweet spot where the man and the legend overlap.

There's so much to the Brown story that focus becomes an issue in a film like Alex Gibney's "Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown." How do you capture the hardest working man in show business in just two hours?