Superfly: Crime e Poder

It's Entertainment. A comic book story made into a movie, with all the comic trimmings. I guess the other reviewers really didn't like Priest's over-the-top hairdo... and they're kind of right: it is excessive. But then again, he's supposed to be a combination of dangerous, sharp, slick, & smooth, all at once; so I'll give him that. Besides, the movie is entertaining. That, and I wasn't expecting a blockbuster; but it's nicely done. Wastes no time. What happened to people just watching movies and expecting to be entertained? That's what I expect from a movie: "Will it entertain me, and how much will it entertain me?" All the other niggles about script, technical qualities, and what not, are just that: niggles. If you're down with going on a fantasy gangsta trip for 116 minutes... see expensive cars, gals, guns, gratuitous T & A; cool martial arts, and a hail of bullets, with a sprinkling of love to round it all out... Go see this movie.

Everything about this movie is just too predictable and looks like much thought wasn't put into it. There were just too many irrelevant scenes in this movie which didn't need to be screened.

The worst part about this movie is that it seemed like an advert for the Lexus sports car the main character drove as the panning and camera angles were irrelevant.

Overall, it was a subpar movie.

It's like the ultimate male fantasy come to life!

Priest is the king of the drug game in Atlanta, his head so strongly connected to his shoulders he does not need to bring a gun to a gun fight (And that's why it was so important to advertise it's from the producers of the matrix). He has the perfect life running the game with his boy and sharing his bed with not one but two hot chicks who don't mind sharing at all, as he runs his house like a true king, but one day he realizes he no longer has the mind set for the game and needs to do one last big score and get out before he gets got.

It's like if Disney was making a movie about a drug dealer. This dude Superfly is so perfect. In that way it's the perfect homage not just to the original movie but to the blaxpolation era altogether (both positive and negative) with their imagery of a brother who's near perfect.

But I have to admit, I would not have expected a movie like this in the times we are living in. It appeals so heavily to a male psyche the world is trying to change. Obviously mine has not, because I loved this flick. The producers of the Matrix (as the poster advertised) loaded it with so much Style and action (plus hot naked women) that I can't help but to enjoy.

Something tells me this is going to be my guilty pleasure.

Priest is a cool, careful, calculating drug lord in Atlanta. He has operations and connections all over without the unwanted attention like his two girlfriends, Georgia and Cynthia. He has a respectful rival in Snow Patrol leader Q although Q's right hand man Juju is itching to take him down. After Juju's failed shooting, Priest's brother Eddie tries a drive-by without Priest's knowledge. Meanwhile, Priest goes around his source Scatter (Michael Kenneth Williams) by connecting to the Mexican source Adalberto Gonzalez (Esai Morales). He returns to a looming gang war with Snow Patrol and corrupt cop Detective Mason (Jennifer Morrison).

I like the opening scene which sets up Priest's character really well. After that, he needs to do an exposition of his life and his operation. The movie tries to be slick. At times, I find the attempt fun but other times, it seems unnecessary and silly. For example, Morrison is overplaying the role and she's not capable of the attempt. It's silly to try unless it's done right. The other problem is that Priest is presented as a calculating smart dealer but he misses several obvious things in his plan. It's obvious that Scatter would figure it out and come after him sooner or later. A smart man would take him out right after making the connect with Mexico. As for Q, he knows that his lie could never hold up especially at the gallery. He should have offered him a piece of the action since he needs the sales anyways. Also I don't understand the exact calculations of the third act. Wouldn't a shoot out at his furniture store draw attention to him? Wouldn't it be better to go after Snow Patrol at their mansion? It would have been great action to have a shoot out at the mansion. Speaking of action, there is one big car chase scene in the movie which reminds me of a 90's action B-movie shot on the streets of Toronto. That's to say it looks dated and doesn't have the intensity of the top rank modern car chase. It also looks like they tried their best with limited resources and skills. There is lots to like about TV and music video Director X but he may need some help making the jump to full length films.

If you walk into Superfly with the intention of not taking it seriously....it's actually pretty fun for all the wrong reasons. What makes Superfly work is its jaded views on street credibility and several of the lead actors to bring some much needed levity to what is a rip-off of every crime drama that came before it.

The plot is all you have heard a million times before. The whole "one big score to end it all" after a traumatic moment, corrupt cops, navigating through a Mexican drug cartel, all wrapped into a copy and paste style script. What makes it a little more worth while is the rival gang Snow Patrol, which is gloriously over the top in literally all white everything and filled with actors overacting in ways I haven't seen in a movie in a long time. So it's sad to say that there is a long period where they aren't the focus and the film reverts into familiar cartel territory, which is not investing at all.

Trevor Jackson is okay in the lead role, but is clearly outstaged by his co-star Jason Mitchell, who is having more fun in the role than he is. He plays it pretty straight, but doesn't stretch his range out enough to make him captivating. Also the film runs 20 minutes too long and could have sliced a large amount of the ending to keep it more focused and internal.

Superfly is simply harmless pulp that was close to being a guilty pleasure. In a post-Black Panther world, films like Superfly will have to beef up their reasons for existing by either going all the way absurd, or just asking new questions these characteristics. It's crime isn't its influence, but instead it lacks wings to truly fly.

Rating: 4.5 / 10