Coffy
by Jack Hill
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DVD details
Actor: Allan Arbus, Booker Bradshaw, Pam Grier, Robert DoQui, William ElliottDirector: Jack Hill
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Paul Lohmann
Writer: Jack Hill
Editor: Chuck McClelland
Producer: Buzz Feitshans
Producer: Robert Papazian
Producer: Salvatore Billitteri
Producer: Samuel Z. Arkoff
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-01-09
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product features:
- Used - Like New
DVD Reviews of Coffy
DVD Review: She had a body men would die for - and a lot of them did!
Summary: 4 Stars
While Coffy (1973) may not have been Pam Grier's first foray into feature films it was the one that really launched her (and her twins) into the public eye, garnering an impressive amount of commercial success. Written and directed by Jack Hill (Spider Baby, Switchblade Sisters), who would team up with Grier a year later to release Foxy Brown (1974), the film features, along with Grier, Booker Bradshaw (Skullduggery), Robert DoQui (RoboCop, Miracle Mile), William Elliott (Night of the Lepus), Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses), Lee de Broux (True Grit), and Allan Arbus (Putney Swope), probably best known for his reoccurring role on the television series "M*A*S*H" as army psychiatrist Major Sidney Freedman.
As the film begins we find ourselves in a swingin' soul club where we see a young African American man approach an older African American man sporting an Afro that looks much like a black, shag rug (turns out the younger man is a skeevy dope dealer and the older man his supplier). Anyway, seems the dealer has a present for his supplier in the form of Pam Grier, who's posing as a strung out junkie that will do anything (or anyone) to `get straight' i.e. obtain a fix. The trio heads back to the dealer's apartment (seems the supplier plans to snog Pam up good while the dealer only wants to shoot up and watch), and once there things seem to be going according to plan, that is until Pam produces a sawed off shotgun...as far as what happens next, well, let's just say neither man had a good night. Turns out the woman's name is Coffy (Grier) and she's a hospital nurse whose younger sister took some bad dope and is now a permanent resident of a juvenile drug rehab ward. In retaliation, Coffy offered up some street justice (as seen in the beginning of the film), but soon learns from her policeman friend Carter (Elliott), who seems the only cop on the force not on the take, that the drug business is a hydra i.e. a beast with many heads. We, in turn, learn of a new player in town named Arturo Vitroni (Arbus), a heavy duty gangster from Las Vegas looking take over the vice and narcotic rackets. After Carter suffers a serious beat down (he refused to take bribes) from Vitroni's goons (one of them played by Sid Haig), Coffy goes undercover as a Jamaican call girl named Mystique (complete with phony Jamaican accent), hoping to get close to Vitroni, who's a sadistic sleaze, by going through a local hustler named King George (DoQui), who makes the scene in a mustard colored jumpsuit/cape ensemble, topped off with Elton John glasses (he kinda looks like Superpimp). Anyway, Coffy ends up getting next to Vitroni, but things fall apart as she's recognized by one of Vitroni's men. Things go round and round from here as Vitroni tries to figure out who Coffy's working with, while Coffy suffers some abuse before eventually turning the tables on all those muthas who did her wrong...
While I did enjoy Coffy a lot, it's actually a bit tamer when compared to Foxy Brown (1974), the latter originally intended to be a sequel but then changed to a stand-alone film shortly prior to production (why? I have no idea). While Foxy Brown had a lot more violence and overall action (along with a more mean spirited attitude), Coffy appears to have more of an actual story and greater dimensionality to the characters, at least in terms of Grier's case (both involved Grier's character infiltrating a criminal organization the intent being to destroy it from within). Here we see a few scenes where Coffy is trying rationalize within herself the vigilante justice she engages in, struggling a bit with her conscience, and commenting a number of times how it feels like she's in a dream. As a result, the film starts off with a bang (figuratively and literally), but then slows down a little in the middle, picking up speed again during the last half of the production. Thing is, not many come into a film like this expecting (or wanting) character development, but I did appreciate its inclusion. That's not to say the characters succeeded in appearing fully fleshed out (they really weren't), but there seemed an effort on writer/director Hill's part to make the film a little more than it was, and I think he succeeded, certainly assisted by the presence of Grier. As far as the performances, they were all pretty funky, but for the type of film this is, they work well enough for my expectations. I did learn a few things from this film, including the following...
1. In the land of chocolate mammaries, Pam Grier is queen (crude as it may sound, it's true).
2. In the 1970s it wasn't a big deal, politically speaking, for local councilmen with aspirations of becoming congressmen to share ownership in a sleazy strip club.
3. If you're a policeman who's not on the take, don't threaten to expose those fellow officers that are as you'll most likely end up being beaten to a bloody pulp by masked thugs brandishing axe handles.
4. You know you've made in the world of sleazy pimps when you've got your very own theme song.
5. Nothing accentuates a mustard colored jumpsuit like a mustard colored cape.
6. Macrame bikinis were fashionable in the 1970s.
7. Never grab a prostitute by the hair as she may be hiding razor blades in her coif.
8. Giant Afros were not only fashionable in the 1970s but also a great place to hide stuff.
9. I heard of drive by shootings, but this is the first time I've ever seen a drive by lynching.
10. Never pause in the middle of a busy freeway at night to take aim at someone with a gun as you'll most likely end up getting squashed like a bug by on coming traffic.
11. The Man is ultimately responsible for all illicit activities.
All in all if you're a purveyor of sleazy, exploitation cinema from the 1970s, Coffy is among the cream of the crop. It may not be high art, but it sure as hell entertains.
The picture, presented in widescreen (1.85:1), is decent enough, but does exhibit some grain in a couple areas. As far as the audio it comes across well enough, available in English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital mono. As far as extras there's a commentary track with writer/director Jack Hill, an original theatrical trailer, and subtitles in French and Spanish.
Cookieman108
By the way, for those interested, Coffy, while not as balls out violent as Foxy Brown, did feature more overall nekkidness. Another thing, there's a couple of boxed DVD sets out there with Pam Grier's films (one's called `Fox in a Box' and the other is called `The Best of Soul Cinema DVD Collection', both released by MGM), so if you're interested in buying this film, you might want to check out the availability on those sets as it might save you some green rather than buying the films individually.
Description of Coffy
She's the ultimate tough and sexy heroine. She's Soul Cinema superstar Pam Grier and whether delivering her justice with a shotgun a razor or just her bare hands she doesn't miss a beat in this "smashing no-holds-barred tale of retaliation" (Variety)! Nobody ever commandeered the screen quite like Pam Grier...and Coffy "couldn t be better! [It's] one of the most entertaining movies ever made"(Quentin Tarantino)!Grier is Coffy nurse by day and avenging angel by night. When she discovers that her little sister has been doped up and freaked out by a greedy drug pusher she not only puts an end to his miserable days but she vows to follow his trail of corruption up to the top the very top. But what Coffy doesn't realize is that all is not as it seems and that the leafy green behind the pushers' scene just may come from someone she knows!System Requirements:Running Time: 90 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 027616857835 Manufacturer No: 1001463Bestsellers in DVD
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