Coffy

Year: 1973

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Hill

Review

a film worthy of its reputation. pam grier is very good looking and a good actress, well-matched for the material. hill’s direction is good considering the level of production that this is. like malcolm x she takes advantage of peoples’ low expectations of her. for example, when she goes on the war path and gets caught sid haig and gang assume someone sent her, thinking it’s impossible that she’s working for herself. one of the notable elements is the brutality of the picture. it’s not the first film to be brutal and show the underbelly of the urban condition (film noir, warner gangster pictures and a streetcar named desire all helped change the type of film hollywood produced), but it does step up the brutality a bit and it mixes in elements of race and feminism. it’s also an entertaining film and that’s why it’s as well-known as it is. high and low art.