Foxy Brown

Foxy Brown is one of Pam Grier's best blaxploitation movies (topped only by Coffy). From the James Bondish opening sequence of Pam dancing to the "Foxy Brown" theme song, to Antonio Fargas ("That's my sister...and she's a whole lotta woman!") to the spectacular ending which I will not spoil, this is a must see for any a) Pam Grier fan b)blaxploitation fan c)anybody who wants to see a strong female character beat the crap out of her opponents. That being said, it does feature the standard "Grier sleeps her way to the top of crime syndicate", a plot ripped off of Coffy. With scenes like the famous "Afro as holster" sequence and the inclusion of a Black Panther-esque anti-drug group this movie is fun from start to finish. Don't believe that Maltin; Mr. Charlie gave LaserBlast a better rating; he gave Sheba Baby, which is awful, a better rating. See Foxy Brown tonite!

This was one of the most violent, nonhorror films that I can recall from the 1970s. Beyond the blaxploitation label, Foxy Brown is a solid adventure film, that remains timely to this day. Kudos to Jack Hill, who worked up another treasure with the lovely Ms. Grier. Peter Brown and Kathryn Loder truly deliver unforgettable performances as depraved, sadistic villains, who love each other, but care little for anyone else. The love their characters share is a contrast to the evil that Mr. Elias and Ms. Wall do. As a note, I try to keep things in perspective, and stick to reviewing each film that I write about. But to whoever chooses to read this particular comment, please keep something in mind about the blaxploitation films:

1. They are action films, for the most part, beyond race. 2. These movies were made to play up the social issues of the time, and even today; so yes, most of the villains were white--deal with it!! 3. Because the blaxploitation films were produced in Hollywood, you should take note that the strong, physical prowess exhibited by the heroes and heroines of the films eventually find their way into the mainstream, as the Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Commando, and Cobra movies of the 1980s and 1990s utilize the same, over-the-top action in urban settings. These films, with white leads, are more inline with the blaxploitation formula, than Dirty Harry and Death Wish pics; the Eastwood and Bronson characters mainly used their guns, and rarely duked it out with any villains.

So maybe I am rambling, but my point is this: enjoy each film for what it's worth. And keep in mind, the target audience for blaxploitation movies was ignored by studios during the decades before the 1970s. If you are white, and like blaxploitation, or of any race and think of these movies as cliched slices of the 1970s, please open your minds and keep a proper perspective of the times.

I bought this movie for $2.99, thinking it would be amusing trash. I had no idea how awesome, wrenching, complex, invigorating, and just downright GOOD it was. A lot of comments here have focused on how fun and awesome it is (and it totally is), but I don't see anyone talking about it as a legitimately good movie, so that's what I'm going to address here.

First of all, they just don't make movies like this anymore. Movies today are so sanitized and wiped free of emotion that one doesn't have much of a reaction to them. This movie features RAW emotion, mainly rage and anger. It also doesn't play nice on the brutality. I could not believe Foxy was actually going to be raped... that would NEVER happen in a movie today, and if it did, it would never be treated as casually as it was here. The way she is brutalized in this movie is genuinely shocking, and the ways in which she gets her revenge are equally shocking... and exhilarating. What I'm saying is that you have a real visceral reaction to this movie, and that's a lot more than can be said for most movies nowadays.

Secondly, I don't see anyone talking about the moral complexity of this movie. The whole thing of it being Foxy's own brother who sets the plot in motion brings a lot of ambiguity and depth to both his and Foxy's characters. And then there's Juanita Brown's performance as Claudia. The scene where she goes from drugged-up laughter to hysterical shrieking is just breathtaking... I've seen lots of Best Supporting Actress statues given out for a LOT less. I also liked how the movie didn't make a big deal of how Foxy arranged for Claudia to get out of the business and get back to her husband--and I like that the movie had Foxy do this: i.e. she's helping others around her, not just out for her own revenge.

Finally, there's Pam Grier herself! This movie made me a convert. There's just something so compelling about her; tough, vulnerable, tender, and MEAN when she has to be. There was a moment in this movie where the thought flitted through my head: "How am I going to survive in life if I don't have Foxy to protect me?" I am offically obsessed. I have the DVD of this film on order, and have plans to watch "Coffy" with a friend in a few days. Pam, you are a national treasure!

And let us not forget the awesome title sequence and catchy song by Willie Hutch!

As I was watching, I was thinking "I'm amazed no one has tried to remake this. Who would they choose? probably Halle Berry, though there's no way she could hold a candle to Pam." Well, it was no surprise to see that next year a remake is due out with Halle Berry. (But is Halle's Foxy going to get raped? I highly doubt it). You can just imagine how that's going to be. It will be all sanitized with some decorative "suffering," and then some bloodless revenge. That's why I keep harping on the rape in this movie: it was balls-out NASTY and BRUTAL and pulls no punches. Let's just see how Halle does.

One thing more: I'm not a Tarantino fan, but this film provided a lot of insight into a) Why he would want to make Jackie Brown, and b) a lot of the form and conventions (including the rape) that he followed in Kill Bill. Too bad, in my opinion, this movie is four times as complex and emotionally involving and cathartic as Kill Bill. A lot of that, I think, has to do with how technically proficient and writerly composed Kill Bill is, and a lot of the power of this comes from it being low-budget and without a feeling of being "guided" by a ironic and proficient director.

What the world needs now is Pam, sweet Pam.

--- Check out my website devoted to bad and cheesy movies: www.cinemademerde.com

In 1973, the film "Coffy" made Pam Grier a star, a permanent icon of the blaxploitation films of the era, and a symbol of female empowerment in the face of racial tension. She also kicked a whole lot of tail. Writer and director of "Coffy", Jack Hill, had finished a script for a sequel when the studio decided at the last minute that it didn't want to film a sequel to "Coffy." Re-working his script, Hill gave birth to what could arguably the seminal female blaxploitation film: "Foxy Brown."

Foxy Brown (Pam Grier) is a strong woman striving for a better world. While she attempts to help her drug-dealing brother Link (Antonio Fargas) change his ways, she waits for her federal cop boyfriend Dalton (Terry Carter) to recover from plastic surgery designed to hide him from the drug lords he informed on. Renaming himself Michael, he plans to run away with Foxy to a new life. All of his plans crumble, however, when Link discovers Michael's true identity, and informs on him for a hefty sum to the devious Miss Katherine (Katheryn Loder) and the suave Stve Elias (Peter Brown). When Katherine's goons kill Michael in Foxy's house, Foxy swears revenge. She infiltrates a call girl ring run by Katherine in an attempt to bring the crime lord down in the name of vengeance.

Hill has created an iconic character in Foxy Brown, a character who has been copied and referenced to varying degrees of success since her inception (most shamefully in Beyonce Knowles' character of Foxy Cleopatra in "Austin Powers in Goldmember"). It's not difficult to see why. As embodied by Grier, Foxy is the ultimate female: beautiful, sexy, intelligent, and undeniably fierce. Grier is such a pleasure to watch on screen that you sometimes forget about the lack of support she has around her or the simplistic morals of the story.

Loder's Miss Katherine Wall is a villainess of operatic proportions, filled with delightful malice and sadistic impulse. Brown's Steve is just as good, every inch the handsome mid-70s man. Fargas is also memorable as the weasely and cowardly Link, but outside of these three, the supporting players are only adequate. While Junita Brown's doomed call girl has her moments, the rest of the supporting cast is fairly flat, with line readings not having the right amount of emotion (either too much or too little) and often hitting just off-key of the psychological and emotional core that they need to strike.

While Hill's script taps deep into the racial biases of the 70s, and is filled with the appropriate amount of slang and tension, his characters are often moral absolutes with little in shades of grey or complex motivations. Often, this exists on a similar plane to race: with the exception of Dalton/Michael's fellow agents, every white person in the film is shown as uncaring at best, evil of the highest order at worst. By the same token, with the exception of Link and a fellow dope dealer, the black characters are heroic and upright. In the context of the film, the conceit is appropriate, but it can lead to some viewers being upset or failing to take into account the politics of the time that would lead to such a depiction and dismissing the film out of hand.

Despite these flaws, "Foxy Brown" is definitely a film to watch not just for historical value, but for the remarkable performance of Pam Grier, an actress just as strong and beautiful today as she was in 1974. Whenever she's on the screen, you immediately forget about any imperfections in the movie. As the theme song says, she is "superbad." And that's good. 7 out of 10.

Pam Grier is absolutely dazzling in her outfits in this film, of which there are about a dozen. She's obviously the reason to watch this film, and her character, Foxy Brown, is a strong, smart, sexy black woman, which is a wonderful thing. Aside from Grier's charms, the film features revenge for a brutal rape sequence and entertaining grindhouse moments, so it's no wonder it's a Tarantino favorite. Despite the B-movie vibe with a script that seemed written by a high school boy (apologies to Jack Hill), the film has a feminist streak to it because of its lead character.

As for the exploitation elements, I have to say, it was tough to hear a black man say this when asked about getting a normal job: "Foxy look, I'm a black man, and I don't know how to sing, and I don't know how to dance, and I don't know how to preach to no congregation. I'm too small to be a football hero, and I'm too ugly to be elected mayor." It just reinforces all of the stereotypical roles usually assigned to African-Americans by Hollywood (though in the film, we do see a black man with a normal job briefly as he attempts to rescue his wife from sex slavery). On the other hand, I guess you could view it as a statement on limited opportunities in a white man's world, and the film does critiques the racism of its white characters as well as corruption in the justice system.

If you're willing to put up with low production quality (or laugh along with it) and enjoy the sight of Pam Grier dole out some beatings, this could be your film. I liked Coffy from the preceding year a little bit more, but this one is entertaining too.