RALPH McLEAN
Cult movie
Foxy Brown
"SHE'S the meanest chick in town," roars the tag line on the poster and watching Foxy Brown in all its soulful glory today, it's a boast that's hard to argue with. Directed by exploitation expert Jack Hill in 1974, this cult gem has long held its reputation as one of the great black action films. It boasts all the prerequisites for blaxploitation perfection. It's got jivetalking, flare-flapping action by the bucket load, plenty of low down and dirty sex and - thanks to the super funky soundtrack from Willie Hutch - wah-wah-pedal-enhanced 70s soulfulness. Most importantly, however, it's got Pam Grier in the title role. Much beloved of exploitation fanboys such as Quentin Tarantino - who would go on to give the statuesque leading lady one of her greatest roles with Jackie Brown in 1997 - Grier is practically a force of nature here. Street-smart, soulful and oozing a sensuality, she commands every scene and elevates the often trashy subject matter to the level of cult genius. Sashaying through the seediest sides of LA's funky underworld with a sassy attitude that belies her relative inexperience - she'd made her movie debut just three years earlier - she is iconic here. There are other aspects of funkiness to enjoy, of course. Antonio Fargas - best remembered as the roguish underworld sidekick Huggy Bear in Starsky And Hutch - has a memorable role as Foxy's wayward brother Link and just about anything from director Hill (whose equally iconic Spider Baby is also rereleased in a couple of weeks) is worth watching. Make no mistake, though: this is Grier's film. The story, as you'd expect from such low-rent fare, is little more than a sleazy revenge fantasy but the bold Pammy and Hill manage to turn it into something special. When Foxy's undercover agent boyfriend is gunned down by a drug cartel she sets out on a mission for revenge that sees her pose as a high-class prostitute to infiltrate the bad guys world and get to the men who killed him. If I was to tell you that this involves Grier squeezing into any number of revealing bathing suits and getting bound up by the bad guys on an oddly regular basis you might suggest we're not talking about the most politically correct film ever here.
You'd be right but Grier imbues Foxy with a power and dignity that transcends the seedy plotline and takes no nonsense from all the polyester-wearing sleazeballs she meets. Released this week in Blu-ray and Steelbook editions by Arrow Video, Foxy Brown, and by definition Pam Grier, has never looked or sounded better.
Special features and bonus material include an audio commentary track from Hill and an interview with Grier that proves while she may have been "the meanest chick in town" she's one of the coolest too.