Foxy Brown (1974)
Year: 1974
Country: US
Director: Jack Hill
Reviewed: May 2014
Country: US
Director: Jack Hill
Reviewed: May 2014
From its super 70s title sequence to its jaw-dropping ending, Foxy Brown is quite simply one of the coolest films I’ve ever seen. It’s got cult favourite written all over it with its anti-establishment message and violent deaths of hateful people committed by one of the coolest female action heroines ever in Foxy. Beautiful, buxom and incredibly intelligent, she’s able to more than hold her own in this world. It’s incredibly rare to see women as intricately portrayed and empowered as this woman. She’s just an incredibly likable character, fighting for the little guy, freeing those who are trapped, even if she knows it will result in her own pain. Some of the most harrowing scenes are the film are those where Foxy is tied up, abused and raped simply because she crossed the drug barons. What’s most disturbing about these scenes are what we don’t see, particularly how Foxy got a mean-looking bruise on her breast. By this stage in the film, we’ve really grown to love her as an empowered woman, so to see her trapped is heartbreaking. But she gets out of it using her smarts and gets back at her captors in the most satisfying way. In fact, all of the fights in this film (and there are a lot of them) are incredibly awesome. There’s one in a lesbian bar which stands out (because it features Foxy’s wonderful comeback to ‘I got a black belt in karate’. She hits the woman in the head and says, ‘I got my black belt in bar stools.’ Damn, she’s cool), but there are so many great set pieces that it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite. That said, a personal favourite was Foxy and another callgirl calling out a judge on his hypocrisy and throwing him out in the corridor without any pants on, which is just so cool. Foxy don’t take sh*t from anyone, particularly a corrupt judge. It’s telling that it’s a judge, because this film suggests that the drug barons have control over everyone, including the police and the courts, suggestive of the film’s anti-establishment message (something which almost guarantees that this film’s cult status). And what’s more interesting is that the head of the drug running is a woman, so the film’s not saying that all women are good and should be in power (which is a problem some feminist writing has, particularly the SCUM manifesto), but should be equal and their own woman. One of the best bits in the film comes towards the end when Miss Katherine (the drug lord) pulls this huge knife on Foxy and you’re expecting this huge fight, but she just shoots her arm. Foxy is a far more powerful and intelligent woman than this other seemingly empowered woman who has trod all over others to get to her strong position, which is actually a really interesting message for minorities struggling for justice. In your struggle, you can’t just stand on top of everyone else, because then you’ll become just as bad as those who oppressed you. This message is something that’s often ignored on the road to progress but it’s an essential one. In many ways, the shooting of Katherine’s arm (and her final fate) are prefigured by Foxy’s impressive speech to the neighbourhood committee, explaining that her motives are not just revenge, it’s about justice. And there’s a difference, which is a great message. Seriously, this film is uber-cool (featuring some wonderfully 70s fashion and a fun disco-y soundtrack) led by one of the greatest screen females ever in Foxy Brown and features an important message about keeping your humanity in times of greatest anger. Why is this a cult film again?
Best Scene: Foxy's speech
Overall Verdict: 10
Overall Verdict: 10