Feminista Is Watching This So You Don't Have To: Fight Night The Million Dollar Heist

I have been waiting a longgggg time for a show that captivates me and represents one of my favorite film genres: Blaxploitation. While incredibly underrated and misunderstood, Blaxploitation involves storytelling that centers the nuances of Black cultural experiences, highlights intracommunity conflicts, and rallies around one common idea: sticking it to The Man. Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is a star-studded, action-packed limited series on Peacock that takes us back to the 1970s in both style and substance and, baby, I am getting my entire life watching it!

First, let me tell you who all is gonna be there when you watch: Kevin “I’m in every funny film” Hart, Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson, Golden Globe winner Don Cheadle, the LEGEND Samuel L. Jackson, Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard, David Banner (yes, the Atlanta rapper), everybody’s favorite Black man on the set Clifton Powell, singer Chloe Bailey, and two of my personal favorites, Rockmond Dunbar and RonReaco Lee. Lori Harvey, one of Black Hollywood’s most recognized socialites, even makes a cameo appearance as the incredibly captivating Lola Falana.

You already know that every scene is going to be packed with the kind of talent most directors only dream about. When I say everyone is deep in their acting bag, I mean this show is scene after scene of undeniable brilliance. It’s one of the best ensemble casts I’ve witnessed in a long time.

It’s easy to compare Fight Night to a Black version of the popular Ocean’s 11 series, also chockful of Hollywood A-listers like George Clooney and Julia Roberts. After all, both center around a bunch of hustlers and professional criminals looking to make a huge score. That’s where the similarities end, though, and Fight Night holds its own as a series that explores the complexities of the relationships between men and women, the economic gap between rich and poor, the racial tensions between white and Black Americans, and the general spirit of the Black Power Movement, a moment in history often overshadowed or erased from our historical consciousness. 

Suppose you’ve ever watched Blaxploitation films from the 1970s, particularly within the context of their purpose and place in the cinematic landscape. In that case, you’ll draw parallels between this story and those produced 50+ years ago as part of the popular genre. The older films offered Black Americans the opportunity to see themselves on the big screen as more than domestic workers, enslaved people, and otherwise sidelined characters. The (mostly male) protagonists had power, money, influence, and sexual prowess, things that were especially important to Black men at the time. There were also opportunities for Black women to demonstrate autonomy, power, and overall badassery that we have rarely seen since. 

These ‘70s films took badassery to new levels.

Fight Night transports us back to one of the most important moments in American sports history as legendary boxer Muhammad Ali returns to the ring after being suspended from competitive boxing for refusing to participate in the Vietnam War draft. The actual event took place on October 26, 1970, three years after he’d been suspended for “draft dodging.” It becomes the backdrop for the broader plot of an orchestrated heist that targets some of the biggest players in the Black Mafia, who are scheduled to gather for the fight’s afterparty.

While he has had several roles in different genres, including a brief but memorable appearance in 40-Year-Old Virgin, comedian Kevin Hart (“Chicken”) is at his best playing a two-bit hustler trying to get in good with the Black Mafia. He and Don Cheadle, who plays a detective (“J.D.”), team up in a kind of buddy cop situation after Chicken is framed for the robbery. The story follows the two as J.D. tries to catch the robbers and Chicken tries to clear his name.

As Chicken’s mistress, Vivian, Taraji P. Henson has been given one lane and, while a bit narrow at times, she stays in it, hits her targets, and brings magic to the screen. Samuel L. Jackson is playing the Blaxploitation version of... Samuel Jackson. He’s one of those actors who brings pretty much the same energy to each role and that’s why he is cast--he is there to simply be Samuel L. Jackson! Here, though, he settles into the role of Frank Moten, a Black Mafia leader, and brings a stoicism and depth we aren’t often used to seeing from him. It makes for incredible scenes in which he has electrifying chemistry with his castmates, particularly Terrence Howard, who plays Cadillac Richie, a wannabe boss with kingpin aspirations of his own.

The one to watch in this series, though, is lesser-known actress Artrece Johnson, who plays Chicken’s wife, Faye. I first saw Artrece in 2023’s A Thousand and One and added her to my list of people to watch because she has a rare talent. She shines in Fight Night and, in my opinion, elevates Hart’s performance in every scene they share. I was also happy to see Anthony B. Jenkins, who you’ll recall from the film Never Let Go, and plays one of Faye and Chicken’s sons. This kid is going places, you hear me?? We absolutely need to keep an eye out for this bright young star.

Fight Night brings Blaxploitation themes and cinematic approaches into the present. The show can sometimes feel like a modernized period piece, but it nails the boom-bap styling of classic Blaxploitation films in each episode. It’s over the top, hyperbolic even, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. The shit-talking, the swagged-out struts, the silky perms, and the powerful Afropuffs remind us of a time when Black Pride was marketable and widely embraced. Perhaps that is why it resonates with me so deeply at this precise moment. I watch Fight Night and revel in how much I appreciate the profound joy of being Black in America.

New episodes stream on Thursdays on Peacock.