Super Fly

Super Fly (1972)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Gordon Parks, Jr.

Starring: Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier, Julius Harris, Charles MacGregor

From: Warner Bros.

Here's another review from me; I saw this movie on Saturday night; it's yet another one I hadn't seen in years. It's not as great as its reputation says it is. See me explain why in my Letterboxd review below: 

Here's one of the many movies that I've seen before but that one viewing was a long time ago. As the El Rey Network started showing the super hard to find (even online and even in the obscure places where rare films can be found) Super Fly T.N.T this weekend and I plan on giving that a review on Tuesday, of course I had to see this a second time.

I presume most are familiar with the plot of how pusherman Youngblood Priest is looking for one last big cocaine score so that he and his partner can retire from the beat-of course that goes wrong-so I won't spend much time there. I'll just say that if it wasn't for the legendary score from Curtis Mayfield, I'd only rate this as about average. I generally enjoy the old school funk and R&B personally so I am predisposed to enjoy the sort of music that Mayfield made; but, all the songs on the soundtrack are incredible and it offers a big boost to a movie that otherwise has sloppy storytelling, weird editing, a meandering pace, and some odd moments. It really does help the film.

Now, I can admit that the montage of photos set to the song Pusherman was really good; seeing Curtis on film perform that song earlier was definitely enjoyable. Plus, I've mentioned in other reviews how I enjoy looking at “The crappy New York City of old” in movies before the area got cleaned up (you know, in movies like Night of the Juggler, Shaft, Taxi Driver or the Joe Spinell Maniac) and there are scenes here which definitely reflect that.

No matter if I think this isn't the blaxploitation classic that it once was, I haven't seen a film in that unique genre since last summer, so it was about time to do so. I at least chuckled at the loud clothing (as I always do with these films) and Priest's pimp Cadillac was quite amusing. Point is, my list of blaxploitation wouldn't be complete without this, one of the most famous of the genre.