Sheba, Baby

In comparison to classics like "Foxy Brown" or "Coffy" this one obviously looses, but the film itself is not that bad as some people claim! Okay, it maybe looks more like the episode of a 1970s TV serial than a movie for the big screen, but it has got some decent entertainment values, although the above mentioned films were more violent and sexy. Once more Pam Grier plays a revenging lady which does away with some corrupt guys who killed her father. This amazing main actress it definitely the coolest Afro American actress on our planet and it´s a shame that she´s nowadays wasted in quite meaningless stuff like John Carpenter´s "Ghosts of Mars"! Another memorable part is given by Austin Stroker, a forgotten 1970s actor, who was great in films like "Assault on Precinct 13" (Made in the times when Carpenter still shot good movies...) or "Battle for the Planet of the Apes". Better watch "Foxy Brown" or "Coffy" first to see some real Pam Grier Blaxploitation classics, but you can easily check out "Sheba, Baby" without that feeling to have your time wasted!

Sheba Shayne (Pam Grier) receives a telegram informing her that her father may be in trouble. Sheba, a private investigator and former cop, goes to her father's aid. But someone will stop at nothing to run her father out of business. An attempt to show their muscle goes awry and Sheba's father is gunned down in cold blood. These guys have messed with the wrong woman.

If I had to describe Sheba Baby, the best I can come up with is Pam Grier Lite with some really bad acting. For a Pam Grier film, Sheba Baby is incredibly tame. It's nowhere near as violent as some of her earlier films. Gone are the over-the-top images of Pam placing a small revolver or razor blades in her afro. Pilot (D'Urville Martin) and his crew can't hold a candle to some of the real villains Pam faced in her previous movies. It's strictly by-the-numbers and almost has a made-for-TV feel. As for the bad acting, the baddies that Pam faces off with are as unnatural sounding in their delivery as I've seen. As a result, characters like Pilot don't come across as threatening as they should or need to for the movie to work.

That's not to say there aren't moments or elements in Sheba Baby that I didn't enjoy (Pam in a wetsuit and Pam brandishing a spear gun), it's just that when compared with Pam's other films like Coffy, Foxy Brown, and even Friday Foster that the movie fails.

One final observation - maybe I'm just more sensitive to these things post-9/11, but I don't remember a time, even in the security lax 70s, when you could take a suitcase full of guns on an airplane. When Sheba flies to her father's aid, she's got an arsenal packed in her luggage!

'Sheba, Baby' (1975)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Blaxploitation Girdler style has Pam Grier leaving Chicago and heading to Louisville when she hears a bunch of thugs are trying to push her father out of his business. Soon dad is shot dead and it's up to Grier to track down the killers and put an end to them. Once again, this isn't the greatest film in the world and it's certainly not an Oscar-winner but if you enjoy the genre and what it has to offer then you're going to be able to enjoy what's here. I was a little hesitant going into a PG-rated blaxploiation film but the screenplay offers up enough action to keep things moving even though I'm sure fans of Grier want the R-rated action that comes with the nudity. Grier is as tough as ever here and she really turns in another winning performance. What always amazes me about her is how much fire and energy you can see her burning even if she's just standing around not doing a thing. Then, when it's time to fight, that energy just erupts like a volcano and one can't help but respect that energy she brings to a film. The supporting players include Rudy Challenger, Austin Stoker and Dick Merrifield but there's no doubt that the film belongs to Grier. Having lived in Louisville for many years, the film gave me even more entertainment than it probably will from someone who has never visited the city. There were several locations that I recognized and that's always going to add a little bit more charm to a film for someone. The movie does go over the top in its violence and I was a little surprised to see more of the red stuff than I was expecting. Of course, being a blaxploitation picture we've got to end the film with a wild chase and shoot out and that doesn't disappoint here either. Seeing Grier in a wetsuit never hurts either.

This is the first of three Pam Grier releases from 1975 I'm reviewing for this site. In this one, she's Sheba Shayne who's back in Louisville, Ky., in order to look over her father Andy (Rudy Challenger) after he got roughed up from some hoods at his loan collection business. Also there is his partner Brick Williams (Austin Stoker) who rekindles his past romance with Sheba. The person who ordered the job is one called Pilot (D'Urville Martin) but the real muscle comes from another one called Shark (Dick Merrifield). I'll stop there and just say that this wasn't as exciting as Ms. Grier's previous movies Coffy and Foxy Brown and since this was rated PG, there's no nude scenes of Pam and the violence is tame in comparison. Still, those action scenes were still pretty exciting especially one involving another villain named Walker (Christopher Joy) who she forces during a car wash to stick his head out the window unless he gives pertinent info. The result with the way his hair looks was the most hilarious scene to me. In summation, if you're a Pam Grier completist, 'Sheba, Baby' is at the least worth a look. Oh, and I recognized the Chicago scenes since I lived there during the first 6 years of my life with occasional visitings since then.

No, this isn't Coffy, Foxy Brown, or even Friday Foster. It's Pam Grier toned down for the kiddies.

Unfortunately, with the loss of real action and Pam's boodilicious body, we also have to suffer through bad direction and a really lame script.

It is impossible to find a memorable quote from this film as there are none. The acting is wooden and, in most cases, just what you would expect from a flick that trades on the great roles Grier has had to date.

I was bored to tears.