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Created Mar 31, 2013 12:22AM PST • Edited Sep 28, 2014 08:55PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Good 3.0

   A time capsule of 70s stereotypes, Foxy Brown represents a high-water mark for Blaxploitation movies. It’s certainly exploitative, with lots of black thrown in. Well, black as Hollywood often caricatured it during that freewheeling time. “Dyn-o-mite” gets said unironically, for instance. “Super Bad” too.

   The IMDb plot summary nails it in one sentence.

   A voluptuous black woman takes a job as a high-class prostitute in order to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.

   So why watch it now? To better understand Quentin Tarantino’s inspiration for Jackie Brown, and to see the star of both movies in her prime. That would be Pam Grier, who is most assuredly Dyn-O-Mite!

4. Acting

   Good 3.0

   Pam Grier made a career out of being Foxy Brown. Her acting range ain’t so great, but it’s good enough when combined with her evident charisma. And her evident Super Bad Bod.

   Antonio Fargas plays her no-good brother Link Brown.

   Kathryn Loder is downright bizarre as a madam with needs, while Peter Brown is stiffly handsome as her #1 man.

5. Male Stars Good 3.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

   Pam Grier is Foxy Brown.

7. Female Costars Good 3.0

8. Male Costars OK 2.5

10. Film

    Good 3.0

11. Direction Good 3.0

12. Play OK 2.5

13. Music Great 4.0

14. Visuals Very Good 3.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 3.1

    More than an eyeful of bare boobs, including Pam Grier’s. Is that caddish to point out? Not when reviewing an enthusiastic exploitation movie.

17. Sex Erotic 2.6

18. Violence Brutal 3.0

19. Rudeness Nasty 3.7

21. Reality

    Surreal 2.1

22. Circumstantial Surreal 2.1

23. Biological Surreal 2.1

24. Physical Surreal 2.1