Top 10 Most Entertaining
Blaxploitation Movies of the Seventies.
The origins of the blaxploitation movie can be
found in the need of recognition of the black audience at the end of the
Sixties.
They were looking for a cinema that reflected their daily life and
experiences. The ingredients of this sub-genre includes nudity,
violence,
funky soul music and are centred around a black protagonist in a world crowded
with drug dealers, players, hustlers,
pimps (and their striking outfits and
cars), call-girls and bounty hunters. Well, on number 10 we have got...
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10)
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Foxy
Brown ( Jack Hill, 1974 )
Like Coffy this blaxploitation movie is modeled
after Pam Grier who's again playing the avenging angel. This time her revenge
spree is focused on the mob responsible for the death of her boyfriend, an
undercover cop who's betrayed by her brother. Despite some simplistic plot
twists a very amusing picture with some violent action scenes and again a very
convincing role of the irresistible Pam Grier as Foxy Brown. The soundtrack
was recorded and produced by the well-known R&B artist Willie Hutch.
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9)
Truck Turner ( Jonathan Kaplan, 1974 )
In this
uncomplicated straightforward action flick
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Isaac
Hayes is the ex-football star, now bountyhunter Truck Turner who's
chasing a sadistic pimp in the dangerous streets of L.A. A
tragic accident spoils the game and suddenly the roles are
reversed. From that moment Truck is involved in a game of cat
and mouse between Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto), the ruthless
L.A. crime king and his hitmen Some good performances, nice
car chases and a memorable climax in a hospital make this an
above average blaxploitation movie. Director Kaplan also made
the impressive 'coming of age' drama Over the Edge
(1979).
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8)
Superfly ( Gordon Parks Jr., 1972 )
The drug
dealer Youngblood Priest (Ron O' Neal), so-called because he
carries his samples in a cruxifix pendant, has decided to do
one last score before quitting the cocaine business
permanently. Problems arise when a powerful unknown drug
kingpin (his supplier) wants to keep him in business. Although
a hugely successful movie with one of the best soundtracks
ever used in a blaxploitation movie by Curtis Mayfield it was
also unjustly characterized by some critics as a glorification
of drug-dealing. Followed by two sequels, T.N.T. Superfly
(1973) directed by the former star O'Neal and The Return of Superfly
(Sig Shore, 1990).
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7) Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song ( Melvin van
Peebles, 1971 )
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Melvin
van Peebles (who starred, directed, wrote, edited, composed and
produced the independent picture) is the hustler Sweetback whose hedonistic
lifestyle makes a U-turn after he witnesses the brutal beating of a black
activist by two xenophobic white cops. He takes revenge on the two cops and is
for the remaining part of the movie on the run with the police force on his
tail. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is an uncomprimising and
experimental blaxploitation movie including psychedelic and hallucinating
images, use of split screen and a rather subversive opening sequence involving
Melvin's son Mario. A true original.
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6) Black Caesar ( Larry Cohen, 1973 )
The initial motives of black pusher Tommy Gibbs (Fred
Williamson in his best role) to take over Manhattan controlled by the white
man, to give the blacks a better deal, changes when he starts to behave like a
"white man's nigger" himself. Black Caesar, (a.ka. Godfather
of Harlem) was directed by the gifted
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Larry
Cohen (Bone, God Told Me To) known for his smart
location photography giving his movies a rare authenticity. The original
ending with the black Godfather being robbed and murdered by some black
streetkids was erased because a black audience would not accept that. Because
of the movie's success Cohen instantly made the enjoyable sequel Hell Up in
Harlem. Great music from James Brown.
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5) Trouble Man
( Ivan Dixon, 1972 )
A real
gem this rather unknown blaxploitation movie with Robert Hooks
(Fast-Walking) as the smooth fixer Mr. T who has
multiple business interests. He runs into trouble when he's
hired by two hoodlums to investigate who's stealing from their
gambling operation. Hooks is great as the cool P.I. in this
action packed crime movie. Although the movie was a commercial
flop at the time, the soundtrack by Marvin Gaye was very
successful.
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4) Willy Dynamite
( Gilbert Moses, 1974 )
The
blaxploitation movie with the most shameless pimp costumes
ever but also a convincing study of the downfall of a hustler.
Roscoe Orman (best known as Gordon in Sesame Street) is
the successful and merciless pimp Willy Dynamite (Willy D) who
rules his group of call-girls with a firm hand. His decline
starts when a social worker named Cora (an excellent
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Diana
Sands ) convinces one of his girls, who has been mutilated in
prison, to leave the "life". Sands died of cancer
shortly before the release of the movie at the age of 39. An
engrossing picture from beginning to end.
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3) Coffy
( Jack Hill, 1973 )
A first class revenge movie starring the queen of the
blaxploitation genre
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Pam
Grier. Grier plays the nurse Coffy who's determined to avenge those
responsible for her little sister's heroin addiction. When she penetrates
deeper into this degenerated world she finds out that there are people
involved that are close to her. It took director Jack Hill and his crew only
18 days to make this violent and subversive picture that launched Pam Grier's
career. Her strong central performance was also Tarantino's main inspiration
for writing his screenplay for Jackie Brown (1997) in which she also
starred. Coffy was remade in 1981 as Lovely But Deadly with an
all-white cast.
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2) The Mack
( Michael Campus, 1973 )
Max Julien is Goldie, who returns to his
neighboorhood after a five year prison sentence, who becomes a calculating and
ruthless pimp. His philosophy is that if you want to control a woman's body,
you also have to control her mind (as he does in the amusing Planetarium
sequence). In his violent battle against his competitors and the two cops who
arrested him the first time, he is accompanied by his loyal friend
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Richard
Pryor (in a memorable role) and his brother (Roger E. Mosley)
who's trying to convince him that he's exploiting his own people. Probably the
most influential blaxploitation movie and best 'pimp' movie ever made. The
funky score is by Willie Hutch.
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1)
Across 110th Street ( Barry Shear, 1972 )
In
this fast paced and extremely violent crime thriller
directed by the underrated >
Barry
Shear (from the excellent The Todd Killings)
a black police lieutenant (Yaphett Kotto) and his racistic
colleague (Anthony Quinn, who also co-produced)
investigate a robbery commited by three black men on a
mafia owned policy bank in which seven men were killed.
For different reasons the robbers are also chased by the
sadistic Italian mafia lieutenant Nick D'Salvio (a
marvellous Anthony Franciosa) and his henchmen. Great
performances, excellent use of locations and profound
characterisations.
The title song by Bobby Womack is also used in Tarantino's
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Jackie
Brown and Ridley Scott's American
Gangster.
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The following blaxploitation movies were close to be in
this Top 10 and are highly recommended for fans of the genre:
Cotton Comes to Harlem (Ossie
Davis, 1970, the first "official" blaxploitation movie)
Shaft (Gordon
Parks, 1971)
Bone (Larry Cohen,
1972, not the typical blaxploitation movie but highly provoking)
Trick Baby (Larry
Yust, 1973)
Gordon's War (Ossie
Davis, 1973)
Hell Up in Harlem
(Larry Cohen, 1973)
Cleopatra Jones
(Jack Starrett, 1973)
Detroit 9000
(Arthur Marks, 1973)
Dolemite (D'Urville
Martin, 1975)
The Candy Tangerine Man
(Matt Cimber, 1975)
Cooley High
(Michael Schultz, 1975)
Penitentiary (Jamaa
Fanaka, 1979)
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10 Movie lists
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