Customer Reviews

Foxy Brown

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Coffy" (1973) made Pam Grier a star, "Foxy Brown" (1974) clearly shows why Grier became a star. "Foxy Brown" simply distills Grier's star qualities and uses them to their fullest potential, and by star qualities, I'm not just referring to her ample bosom. In "Foxy Brown" Grier is an abused, violated madwoman out for revenge at all costs, she doesn't just chew up the scenery, she obliterates it. But that's exactly why we love Grier. She's beautiful, sultry and she can kick a whole lotta ass! As far as I'm concerned, she IS the screen's original action heroine and this vehicle best showcases her talents as an action star. Unlike "Coffy," "Foxy Brown" doesn't give Grier much chance to flex her acting muscles, but it features Grier down and dirty: Foxy ransacks apartments, beats up hostile lesbians, gouges eyes, burns men alive, emasculates (literally and figuratively), and even pulls firearms out of her perfectly coifed afro. "Foxy Brown" is lurid, wildly sadistic, absolutely over-the-top and a cult film classic for those very reasons. "Coffy" may be the better film, but "Foxy Brown" is more enjoyable. So how does "Foxy Brown" fare on DVD? Well, the disc is an absolute revelation. Not since the film's theatrical debut has it looked this good. The previous full-frame transfer used for the videocassette and laserdisc was atrocious, featuring jaundiced flesh tones, excessively saturated colors, dark murky interiors, ruined compositions, and horrifically over-enhanced edges. The new, anamorphically-enhanced widescreen transfer is luminous. Compositions are correctly preserved with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, no more distracting headroom and a bit of picture information is added to the sides. The interiors now reveal wood paneling, earth-toned wallpaper and maroon curtains, unlike the previous transfer which rendered almost everything black or dark brown. The flesh tones are finally natural and the film's colors are brought down to a comprehensible saturation level, but don't worry, the 70's fashions are still a bright kaleidoscope of tawdriness. The sharpness is pleasing; edge-enhancement never rears its ugly head and the film's skies are at last blue. Gone is the olive and yellow sunlight. Film grain is noticeable in some dark scenes and there are a few source defects. Considering this is a low-budget exploitation film made in 1974, the source element is almost pristine. Compression on the disc is not so pristine, however. Some dark, shadowy areas and dissolves are frequently subject to tiling artifacts, but for a retail price of only $14.95, who can complain? Supplements include the amusing theatrical trailer ("Foxy's got guts: no ifs, ands, or buts!") and an enlightening commentary track by director Jack Hill who repeatedly describes the toils of working with AIP (American International Pictures) on this film, which he has said was one of his worst film-making experiences. The monaural sound on the disc is commendable; dialogue is always intelligible and the bass level makes Willie Hutch's score sound just as funky as it was 27 years ago. Jack Hill created Pam Grier her own sub-genre with "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown" and when she left it after 1976's dismal "Friday Foster," no one took her place...no one ever could. "Foxy Brown" is the ultimate Pam Grier action vehicle, a blaxploitation classic and a great DVD! If you have only seen "Foxy Brown" on videocassette or laserdisc, you haven't seen "Foxy" at all.

FOXY BROWN is a great movie, but not a great explotation movie. Oddly enough this is the film that got Pam Gier the title "QUEEN OF THE EXPLOTATION FLICKS". When I first sat down to watch this film I was expecting to see tons of gratuitous nudity and violence. The nudity in this film was seldom and the violence was not very graphic. Don't get me wrong, I loved this film and it really is a classic 70's film, but don't go in expecting the normal 70's gratuity. The story is about a woman that becomes a vigilante in order to get revenge for the death of her boyfriend. The plot thickens when other elements are thrown into play like a drug addict younger brother, an underground militant army, and a mother forced into prostitution. If you like this film, but you also really like gratuitous nudity and violence; I would highly recommend watching COFFY. Pam Grier is the star of that movie also, but the storyline is a little more loose and there is nudity all over the place (including Grier).

The reviewer who thought this was a movie about a current singer either is pulling our leg or is dumber than a post. Just look at the cover. Probably, they are too young to recognize it as one of the classic blaxploitation movies of the 70s. Of course the acting is terrible, the dialogue lame and the plot is weak. They were supposed to be. After all, these movies were made on a production budget of $23.56. Any movie that provides a means of getting Pam Grier out of her clothes as often as possible is sufficient validation for anything. (In this regard, see Pam's 1973 Coffy).

After seeing Jackie Brown a couple of weeks ago and loving it, I decided to see the other films Pam Grier had done in the past. `Foxy Brown' is the second blaxploitation classic that I saw of her (first being White Mama, Black Mama), and it just blew me away. Though the script is flawed, and has some unrealistic characters, this only adds to the fun, campy nature of the film. The opening sequence rivals those of the James Bond films.

`Foxy Brown' features a brilliant lead performance from the hypnotically attractive Pam Grier, whose federal agent boyfriend is gunned down, and who sets out to fight for revenge and justice where the System has failed her and at the same time is matched at every turn by Antonio 'Huggy Bear' Fargas as her no-good younger brother. The rest of the performances are variable, and the budgets of these things did tend to preclude brilliant method actors! Jack Hill's direction keeps things ticking over nicely and the screenplay swings wildly between shock-horror tactics, tongue-in-cheek theatricality and even the occasional stab at gut-level farce.

In short, it's all very entertaining stuff. Fans of `The Hills Have Eyes' will be interested to see a small supporting role for Russ Grieve (Bob Carter in the aforementioned Wes Craven classic) as a corrupt high-up with a naked redhead on his knee, and Bob Minor turns in a sympathetic performance as the Black Panthers-styled vigilante that is light years away from his banal turn in `Carnel Madness' as the stereotypical sex-crazed vaudeville black. The funky score is another bonus that doesn't hurt a bit.

Foxy Brown is a definite must-see. The camera is certainly in love with her. Definitely one of the best, and most enjoyable blaxploitation films I've seen thus far.

Foxy Brown, the 'sequel' of Coffy, stars Pam Grier and delivers a forceful addition to the 'blaxploitation' genre. Foxy is a fighter. Backed against the wall by a feared drug cartel, she comes out swinging with fierce vengence and the determination to rid the streets of scum. A dual source of rage against the cartel unfolds: both her lover and then her brother are killed by them. A woman scorned is an understatement. Foxy is on a mission and the only resolve is either the cartel's demise or her own. Foxy Brown proves to be a whirlwind of action that relentlessly churns throughout the film. Director Jack Hill is an auteur of low-budget, eye-opening cinematography. He knows how to write/direct with a sense of honesty and cleverly blends sympathy and vigilante empathy. The print is gorgeous and well-rendered. The soundtrack by Willie Hutch helps to enhance the journey. The Hill commentary is priceless. A must for anyone who is either interested in blaxploitaion or wants to find out where Tarantino found his inspiration for Jackie Brown. Aside from the obvious nod found in the title, many of the cinematic techniques/plot developments clearly prove to be Tarantino's textbook of hard-hitting, ghetto realism. Foxy Brown not only epitomizes the important cinematic contributions of blaxploitation films but also shows that a good film can be made without pandering to the mainstream.

"That's my sister, baby--and she's a whole lotta woman!" That's how one character sums up the title character in "Foxy Brown," a crime thriller written and directed by Jack Hill. Pam Grier plays the title character, whom the title song promises is "super bad."

Foxy is a hip, tough urban African-American woman who eventually takes on an evil white madam and her crime organization. There is a strong anti-drug mesage, with illegal drugs being depicted as a new form of enslavement in the black community. Although the film is occasionally campy, it nevertheless is very effective as a crime drama.

"Foxy" has a gritty, low budget feel. There is a lot of graphic violence, and some outrageous humor. The film is full of great quotable lines, like "You just take care of the justice, and I'll handle the revenge myself." Although the star gets solid support from the rest of the cast, "Foxy" is undeniably Grier's film. She wears Foxy's outrageous outfits and hairdos with flair. She's a powerful but sympathetic screen presence. And when she gets angry, watch out!

The first time I saw her was in Jackie Brown, and, she still looks good. But, shes way hott in this. Definitely worth seeing.

Foxy Brown is a decent film for its genre. Pam Grier, of course, is incredibly sexy showing off a great body and an interesting wardrobe. Some of the villain acting is terrible, though Tony Giorgio makes a great bad guy (see him as Palancio in 'Magnum Force'). I was a kid growing up in the 70s and am a big fan of this period movie. A rather short film that has no problem holding your interest.

With better direction and acting, I think *Foxy Brown* could have been an awesome film. As it stands, it's pretty much just a decent plot filled with distractions caused by a parade of terrible acting and outrageous '70s fashion (the latter of which, however, is really almost reason enough to see the film).

Pam Grier, despite her great sassy attitude and onscreen confidence, seems plagued by terrible delivery of her lines. (There are zero successes, but several attempts at delivering some decent one-liners.) Fortunately, however, Grier's inablility at delivery is overshadowed by the awful acting of Katheryn Loder, who might just have given one of the worst performances I've ever seen by an actress. None of the cast, however, seems particularly talented, with the best being Juanita Brown as the callgirl Claudia and Antonio Fargas as Foxy's perfectly inept, hoodlum brother, Link.

It's still a decent flick, though maybe not one you want to put too highly on your "must see" list. If the fashion doesn't draw you in, it's worth seeing for Grier's great action scenes and the often laughable and seemingly endless amount of random sexual situations to be found here. If you're a fan of '70s chic, Pam Grier, or Blaxploitation films, it's a definite must. Otherwise, rent it if you like a lot of violence and can't find any Tarantino films.

I knew this film was going to be different when I picked it up and I'm glad I did . I had actually seen Pam Grier in Jackie Brown , not knowing that the title of the later film was a play on her character in this one .

Pam's a fine actress and that tends to get overlooked because she's attractive , but this wouldn't be the first time that has happened . Nowadays , actresses seem to be good looking and the talent is optional .

The story is nothing special but suits the characters' personalities and their world . Some of the dialogue would definitely be cut today - political correctness has caused a partially premature death of the English language , but we can fight it .

Enjoy this film for a snapshot in time where attitudes were different and the world was a bit looser .
It's weird , but we all are from time to time , aren't we ?