Foxy Brown

Foxy Brown has seen her boyfriend taken out, a tip off from her brother there's no doubt, now revenge is on her mind, drug dealing villains she will find, along with others, they'll receive almighty clout - amongst other things.

Another absolutely wonderful Pam Grier performance, what's not to like about a black women dolling out justice with style, elegance and class against a load of craven drug pushers and peddlers. A little bit racy in places, certainly of its time, and wholly unrepresentative of reality, but it moves along at pace, there are some great fight scenes, and the leading lady keeps you glued to the screen throughout.

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.

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.

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!