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!

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.

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!

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."

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