Escape sangriento

Damn, this movie is so supa-bad it's supa-good! Pam Grier is great as the jive talkin' lady who's out for revenge after some snow-pushing honkies didn't treat her so nice. There's no messin' around with Foxy Brown! The clothes, the characters, and especially the talk (dig this, jive that) is so '70's it seems to be a parody.

What's bad about this film is the excessive violence (Foxy's drugging and raping and her gruesome revenge), but maybe it's necessary in order to have a film like this. Throw censorship to the wind and have a no-holds-barred action/revenge flick, complete with mutha-f***er this and that, pickle jar prothetics, and propeller dismemberments.

The trailer for this flick is the coolest. If it doesn't make you dig Foxy straight up, you're in the wrong scene!

This is shamelessly trashy. And very cheesy. And aside from Ms Grier, the acting is soap opera-grade. And its hilariously dated. And just all around hilarious. And Pam Grier is one sexy bad-ass chick. Or rather: Superbad! Can you dig it?

The gun hidden in the afro was a nice touch.

So was the death-by-airplane-propeller.

And the brawl in the lesbian bar.

And the revenge-by-manhood-removal.

We get to see her boobs. Large, shapely boobs.

I was hugely entertained.

There really isn't more that I need to say.

Foxy Brown is one of the most graphically violent urban action films around. Jack Hill delivers a solid story to compliment pulp-style action sequences. Peter Brown and Kathryn Loder are remarkable as the villainous couple, whose passion for oneanother contrasts the hateful crimes they commit. Pam Grier is marvelous as Foxy Brown, both visually and emotionally. Foxy Brown, like Grier's previous character Coffy, is a strong-willed and able woman, who wants justice in her community, and personal life. The film's content, while slightly dated, is still timely enough to resonate with some viewers. Finally, I would like to address some rather ignorant critics of this film: yes, the villains are white. THIS IS A BLAXPLOITATION FILM!!!! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT????!!!!! While it is not easily stated, Foxy Brown and so many of the blaxploitation movies were originally produced so that Hollywood could capitalize on the vibe of the black community. These films were created, marketed, and displayed to an audience that was often belittled and ignored during the decades leading up to the 1970s. They are action flicks that pull on the heart strings of some, while others get a cool chuckle watching them. Trust me, whenever a bigot ruins my day, it is always nice to watch Foxy Brown bring whitey down!!! Power to the People!!!! And as the immortal Bob Ross always said, "God bless."

Foxy Brown (Pam Grier) strikes down with great vengeance and furious anger the vicious hoods who murdered her low-life pusher brother (the unmistakable Antonio Fargas) and her blandly righteous boyfriend (Michael Anderson). Even by Blaxploitation standards, this vengeance yarn is a bit over the top, with lots of nudity, crude language, and an entertaining variety of brutalities, mutilations, and deaths. Grier is fine as the buxom angel of death but the rest of the cast are primarily charactures of racist cops and hoodlums, Black-power militants, pricy call-girls, and sleazy politicians. The lead villainess, Miss Katherine, is played by Kathryn Loder, whose stilted, stagy delivery makes the vile upscale madam sound like she's somewhere on the spectrum. The action sequences are pretty graphic and the film is gruesome enough at times to get itself banned in some markets (there was something pink in that nasty pickle jar...). The film was originally a sequel to 'Coffy' (1973) so Foxy's back story is a bit sparse. The soundtrack is a homage to/rip-off of Isaac Hayes' iconic 'Shaft' themes. Be warned: the script is full of vintage racial pejoratives that could cause near-fatal indignation in these more sensitive times.

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.