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Foxy Brown (1974) - Blu-ray Review

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3 stars

Her name is Foxy Brown. Revenge is what she wants. Blaxploitation icon Pam Grier stars in Jack Hill’s Foxy Brown which delivers on what it promises: more sex and more violence. Written and directed by Hill, the film is definitely a step down from what he did with for Grier and Sid Haig in Coffy. That’s not saying that Foxy Brown doesn’t have its merits in the exploitation genre (as Grier’s wardrobe is a star in and of itself) but, that’s just the thing, it's a bit more stylish than it ought to be. Grier’s ascent to icon status (and not the film itself) is the reason to revisit this cult film.

Foxy Brown has its origins as the unofficial sequel to Coffy. Of course, it’s not but that’s how it started until American International Pictures decided otherwise. Maybe they thought Grier’s rising status was too unreliable. Maybe they just have a thing for titles as they would continue the name game for two more releases. Regardless, its original title of Burn, Coffy, Burn was quickly discarded in favor of the flashier Foxy Brown. Whatever their reasons for the change, the movie was another hit for the studio and led to Hill’s unforgettable Switchblade Sisters before calling it quits in 1982.

In this one, Grier’s fab character, the well-dressed Foxy Brown, avenges the death of her boyfriend, an undercover agent who recently had a face transplant to protect his identity, after her dope dealing brother Lincoln "Link" Brown (Antonio Fargas) sells him out for a cool $20,000. She teams up with a motley crew of malcontents to take down Katherine Wall (Kathryn Loder), her main man Steve Elias (Peter Brown), and anyone else dumb enough to stand in her way.

Co-starring Juanita Brown, Bob Minor and featuring a memorable performance from Sid “What's the matter, kid? Don't ya like clowns?” Haig as an airplane drug delivery man named Hays, Jackie Brown’s opening – featuring a scantily dressed Grier getting her groove on against an array of vibrant 1970’s color motifs – is often regaled one of the sexiest moments of the era. It certainly knows what it is and doesn’t pretend to be what it isn’t. While I prefer Coffy, Foxy Brown is definitely a flick – if you have even the faintest of interests in exploitation cinema – that you should watch.

Hill’s movie is, in a way, more important and influential than Coffy. While it's not any better, this film gets most of the attention from the public sphere.  It seems more people know of it and, as a result, more people cite it as an influence. After all, this was the film that solidified the fact that strong women can lead action flicks and, as it reiterates that the drug runners ARE the bad guys, continued to offer a change in direction for a lot of exploitation cinema. They certainly listened. Hollywood routinely goes back to its bountiful well to sip from time to time. Cookie from Empire anyone? Yeah, look no further for that character’s origins than here with Foxy motherfuckin’ Brown.

Explosive, unrelenting, and super sexy, Foxy Brown also includes one of the most memorable scenes of castration ever put on celluloid. Olive Films, doing exactly what they did with Coffy this week, releases this on a bare-boned blu-ray. Check it out and revisit the glory of exploitation cinema.

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[tab title="Film Details"]

Foxy Brown (1974) - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Jack Hill
Writer:
Jack Hill
Cast:
Pam Grier, Antonio Fargas, Peter Brown
Genre
: Action | Adventure
Tagline:
Don't mess aroun' with Foxy Brown.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You pink-ass corrupt honky judge, take your little wet noodle outta here and if you see a man anywhere send him in because I do need a MAN!"
Distributor:
American International Pictures (AIP)
Official Site:
Release Date:
April 5, 1974
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
June 9, 2015
Synopsis: A voluptuous black woman takes a job as a high-class prostitute in order to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Foxy Brown (1974) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - June 9, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: None
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: A

Retaining the grain and grit of its low-budget, Olive Films presents Foxy Brown on blu-ray with a new 1080P transfer. Low lighting rules throughout this feature but, in spite of its technical limitations, there is a solid contrast and even the colors appear brighter than before. Skin tones are solid and the details in some of the period clothing that Grier wears will bring a to your face. While there is ZERO depth to many of the shots and dirt and some scratches still pop up, Foxy Brown – at least here in the States – has never looked better.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

None

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