Super Fly

Youngblood Priest (Ron O'Neal) is a cocaine dealer who begins to realize that his life will soon end with either prison or his death. He decides to build an escape from the life by making his biggest deal yet, converting the coke to cash and running off to start a new life.

You have to love the musical score from Curtis Mayfield; "Super Fly" is one of the few films ever to have been outgrossed by its soundtrack. And there are lots of interesting facts about this film: The film was shot by director of photography, James Signorelli, who would go on to become the film director at Saturday Night Live. The director's father, Gordon Parks, was the director of "Shaft", another blaxploitation classic, and financed this movie with the help of two dentists.

Does the film glorify drug use (particularly cocaine use)? I suppose that depends on your interpretation. Many say it does, the creators say it was intended to show the negative aspects of drug culture. I can see it both ways. I mean, gee, your hero is a drug pusher. But his life is hard... and yet, this hard life is presented as glamorous. Who knows?

Let me put in my two cents about this film.

If you weren't around when this film was released...you're going to miss much when writing a review. Let me try to help:

This film IS about an urban drug dealer that "sticks it to the man". This was NOT a known concept of that time which is why it attracted so many movie goers. What was ALSO interesting was the casting of the light skinned, straight haired actor Ron O'Neal as "Superfly" to "stick it to the man". "The Man", usually white in these films, formatically had to brace the rath of very dark skinned blacks. But here was something... different! "The Man", was really "The Law Establishment". And was "Superfly"...urban? New Concepts of the time.

Another thing: Curtis Mayfield HATED the theme of this movie. He was going to turn down writing the soundtrack when he thought it may be better to counteract this theme by writing POSITIVE messages for the audience to hear. Before "Saturday Night Fever", Curtis Mayfield wrote the ground breaking music to "Superfly". This made the film even more popular.

This was a low budget film released at the very beginning of the black film experience, and was meant to be the opposite of "Shaft" not a parellel to it. But based on the success of Shaft, Warner Bro's needed a project to enter in this arena and greenlighted "Superfly".

This film began a M-A-J-O-R fashion trend that was hard to overcome (only the Disco era of the late 70's knocked this one out.)

And that is "Superfly" in a nutshell.

"Priest", played by Ron O'Neal was 'supercool', he was slick, he had a nice existence, he was a drug dealer that you DIDN'T know was one -- not by outward appearances anyway...that didn't get his come-uppence at the end of the film, he GAVE it.

It is amazing what an impact "Superfly" had on the culture of that time. In looking at it now, it may look cheap, but it IS a timecapsule of fashion, of music and of breaking a movie taboo that all drug dealers are lowlifes and must be killed in the end.

About that fashion: This began the trend of white surban-ites dressing like pimps trying to be cool. Little white kids were wearing "maxi" coats with "Superfly" hats to Jr. High School and High School!!! Dancers were wearing platform shoes, etc., on American Bandstand!!! You think Hip-Hop did it? Where have you BEEN!!!

"Superfly" is one of the rare films that you must experience beyond judging it on how good or bad it is to watch...Rent this film to see how a film can INFLUENCE a culture.

Gordon Parks Jr.'s "Superfly" is interesting enough with its cliches of drug pushers, users, pimps, hos, and the dismal life that is the ghetto. Good performances are given by Ron O'Neal as Priest, the drug pusher who wants to do the unthinkable -- get out of the business, and Julius Harris as Scatter, Priest's former connection to "The Man". After a little "help" from his friends Priest discovers he can only trust his woman, Georgia (Shelia Frazier). But, Priest has masterminded a way to take him and Georgia away from this life to another.

Throughout the film, Curtis Mayfield's superb soundtrack has a way of elevating what might be just another b film to a cult classic. From "Little Child Runnin' Wild" in the opening sequence to Curtis Mayfield's live performance of "Pusherman" in Scatter's club to the end credits with the title track, this is simply one of the finest pieces of music ever written specifically for a film. The soundtrack album, which produced hit singles with "Freddie's Dead" and "Superfly", stands with Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" as perhaps the two greatest soul albums of the 1970's.

'Superfly' is the best movie of the short-lived 1970s blaxploitation boom which gave the world the better known, but less substantial 'Shaft'. The 'Shaft' series are incredibly entertaining movies, no argument there, but most of the films from this period starring Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly,et al are essentially action movies which feature "a black Dirty Harry", "a black Bruce Lee", "a black Philip Marlowe" or even "a black James Bond". In other words they are genre action thrillers with black protagonists. 'Superfly' is very different from most of those movies because Ron O'Neal plays Priest, who isn't a private eye or a "righteous dude" but a DRUG DEALER. And while Priest is tired of "the life" and wants to retire the movie doesn't feature any knee-jerk anti-drug stance or moralizing. This meant that many in the black community at the time detested it and what they perceived as being the glamorization of drugs and drug dealing. All these years later, in an era that is in many ways even more conservative (or at least more hypocritical!), this is what gives the movie a genuine edge, especially when what is on the screen is given a musical debate by Curtis Mayfield's superb score, one of the greatest of all time. O'Neal is charismatic and super cool and displays some genuine acting talent. Which makes it such a shame that his career quickly went down the toilet with little more than small supporting roles in 80s garbage like 'Red Dawn' and 'Hero and the Terror'. O'Neal is supported by an excellent cast of mainly obscure actors such as the late Carl Lee and Charles MacGregor ('Blazing Saddles') as Fat Freddy. The best known face is veteran Julius Harris ('Live And Let Die') who has a pivotal role as Priest's former mentor Scatter. Director Gordon Parks Jr. went on to make 'Three The Hard Way' starring Fred Williamson and Jims Brown and Kelly, but never fulfilled the his potential before being cut down in a plane crash in the late 70s. What a pity. At least he left us with 'Superfly', which is not just a great blaxploitation movie, but a great movie period. Highly recommended to all fans of gritty 70s crime movies.

Long "Maxi" coats and "Superfly" hats with platform shoes: yes, I was one who jumped into the fashion trend at the time. I hat a purple hat and coat and four-inch platforms after this film came out. I wish I had a picture. :-)

This was a defining film that mightily affect a generation. The music of Curtis Mayfield made it even more enjoyable. It wasn't just a blaxploitation film, it was a good experience.

Sure the fights were lame, the acting nothing to write home about, and even the sex scenes left a lot to be desired, but this was an important film. See it ass soon as you can.