Coffy (1973)

Coffy may be no real masterpiece, but for its 'type' of movie it was going for, it doesn't get much better. Aside from Tarantino's Jackie Brown (of which not only did that filmmaker take license with the 'take no prisoners' style of Grier, but the best musical pieces as well), this is Pam Grier's finest turn in what some consider in the exploitation-movie world as the first 'black-exploitation' classic. But to say that everything in the film is exploitive of black culture might be a little far to say. While to be sure the film depicts some of the black characters with their flamboyant clothing (including things that are pretty funny today like King George's cape and one-piece suit with emblem), and it also keeps to the quasi-tenement of this wave of movies where practically all of the white characters are real drug kingpins or bad gangsters, there's the fact that Grier's character- through crime and revenge and all- is just trying, in her mind, to do the best thing possible. There's also her friend Carter, who is one of the (only) honest cops in this underground of drugs and gangsters. But then again, to take such a story to heart would be missing the point writer/director Hill is after.

Because for its main center of a message, that pushing drugs on people who don't know any better (or do) is wrong to the point of having to take personal action (or standing up for the rights), this is not at all a preachy movie. If anything this is the kind of sexy, cool, violent, hilarious and just plain fun kind of movie-making that could've only come from this small corner of B-movie-making. Right from the start where the guy's head gets blown off, it only gets better with a logic that works like such- the more over-the-top, the better, the more stylish its more appealing, and for every ham-bone acting performance (albeit with a great deal of talent) there's an exciting action scene or fight. But also with this AIP mentality of having lots of hot bodied women (both white and black) in tow with dozens of breasts and other female parts, and the message covered around in stuff that's meant to be really for surface appeal, it takes itself seriously for what it's worth.

Jack Hill is actually, for all intents and purposes, a very fine and under-looked genre-film writer and sometimes gives the dialog an uplift from the trash it could've been. His direction, while sometimes not given enough of what's needed (lights for one thing, just enough to get by it seems), gets the job done. And at the end of the day what most people will remember of the film- aside from the nude girls fight and Sid Haig sporting a red bandanna and a Hispanic accent- is Grier herself. She carries this character with enough appeal to make it known why her cult status is solidified; she's sincere when she's (occassionally) really being herself with what matters to her, but also very sensual, perfectly sneaky, and has that kind of other-worldly heroic spirit that almost makes her like some kind of comic-book hero or something. If for no other reason, Grier makes Coffy still something to check out 30-something years later, and more than just a curio for Jackie Brown fans looking for the roots of that film's success. A-

Fmovies: The prequel to Foxy Brown, Coffy is the better of the two and is a pleasant surprise. Thanks to Turner Classic Movies 'Rob Zombie Friday Night' features my husband and I were able to see both Coffy and Foxy Brown. Prior to actually seeing these films one had steered clear of the genre due to all of the terrible contemporary reviews. Now over 30 years later it was a sheer delight to see the beauteous and talented Pamela Grier in a gritty and electrifying portrayal. Coffy is simply a non-stop action thriller with humor juxtaposed to scenes of violence. There is not really any time to catch one's breath Hill's direction is frenetic and impressive. The marvelous Robert DoQui does his usual excellent work as King George, many may remember him in Altman's Nashville (1975)as Wade Cooley. The cast is wonderful, the acting is over the top and yet it all works together. The injustices of that era are now, sadly, all too easily recognizable and Hill's script is too spot on to be considered campy. The magic of Coffy is, however, Pamela Grier. This woman is simply a joy to behold. There is abundant nudity in Coffy and it is very apropos. Foxy Brown is a decidedly 2nd rate film by comparison. But it today!

What a great film! After seeing "Friday Foster" last week which was a quite disappointment Pam found back to old qualities with this movie! The nerve-straining and tame political correctness of "Friday Foster" is fortunately totally missing, because "Coffy" follows straight up to some unwritten genre laws: the white are the bad guys, black ones the good - that´s how the rules of blaxploitation normally function! The story is simple: nurse Coffy takes revenge for her little sister, who was maltreated by the drug syndicate. Sometimes the film reminded me on Michael Winner´s "Death Wish", however Charles Bronson is a little milk boy in comparison to the tough and sexy Coffy: Pam shows her breasts every five minutes and when she doesn´t she kills a dozens of people instead. The scene when she blows away the head of an evil pimp is next to William Lustig´s "Maniac" the greatest headshot ever featured in a film! Loved also the hilarious girl brawl at the buffet! A great fun flick!!

Coffy fmovies. Quentin Tarantino's fixation with Pam Grier, the star of Coffy, resulted in him casting her as the lead in his 1997 movie Jackie Brown; QT's worship of the actress really comes as no surprise—she's a B-movie nerd's wet dream come true, a foxy, feisty, take-no-crap bad-ass mama with a body to die for. Grier's unforgettable performance, along with no-nonsense direction from Jack Hill and an excellent supporting cast (including Hill regular Sid Haig) ensure that Coffy is not only one of the best blaxploitation films ever, but also one of the best exploitation films of any type, period.

The film combines all the trappings one expects from a pimped-out early 70s revenge thriller aimed primarily at a black audience—big afros (so handy for hiding weapons in), cool music, loud suits, wide ties, flares, pimps, hos, and drug dealers—along with the regular gratuitous violence and nudity one would hope to find in a standard low-budget grindhouse style flick of the era. In Coffy, every woman loses her top and all the bad guys meet suitably nasty fates (gruesome deaths including being dragged behind a car until a bloody pulp and blasted in the balls by a shotgun!); all this to the sound of a funky waka-waka guitar riff.

Something for everyone, then.

In hindsight I should have watched this before Foxy Brown, as this was the better movie. However, it seems that Foxy is far more memorable, with it's over-the-top violence. This one's pretty violent as well, and has all the Pam Grier scenes that you'd expect. Coffy offing a drug pusher in the first few minutes, having a touching family moment, fighting a room full of women that results in everyone's top being janked off, some bad guys nuts getting blown off (literally, not figuratively), and, of course, Pam trading blows with at least 2 lesbians at once. Still, this one has a little more integrity than Foxy, being that it was made first and was a little tamer. Check out Sidney Freidman from M*A*S*H as a sleazy bad guy! This movie passes the time quite nicely.

Excellently filmed, directed, and written. One of the best action films of the 70s, equally as sadistic as any Italian or German "S and M" movies. Scenes of black man being tied and dragged by car make a modern audience VERY uncomfortable! Pam Grier shows it all! I dig the scene with her and the leather chick with the junky girlfriend. Jack Hill should be praised for bringing us the gem of a movie!