Director – Arthur Marks (The Dukes of Hazzard, Detroit 9000)
Starring – Pam Grier (Coffy, Foxy Brown), Yaphet Kotto (Alien, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare), and Godfrey Cambridge (Beware! The Blob, Cotton Comes to Harlem)
Release Date – 1975
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 2.5/5
Tagline – “She’s a fascinatin’, assassinatin’, high-livin’, fun-lovin’ chick!…and the company she’s keepin’ is mighty heavy”
Pam Grier is one hell of an actress. I was floored when I first saw Coffy. She was such a powerful on screen presence. She was very commanding and took control of every scene she was in. Grier in Foxy Brown was just as good. She was a powerful character and her acting ability really brought it on home.
After watching Foxy Brown I had to go ahead and give Friday Fostera spin. I knew nothing of the film before hand but I knew that Pam Grier would fucking kill it…and she did. I want to once again thank Olive Films for sending this film over on blu for me to check out.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows photo-journalist Friday Foster (Grier) who is sent to the airport to photograph the arrival of billionaire black man Blake Tarr. However, she is not alone. A group of men are their to assassinate him and fail. They are able to shoot him but not in a deadly capacity and his body guards fight back. She soon finds herself in the center of several more deaths attached to the name Black Widow. She partners with the police and her editor and is able bring down a web of conspiracy that is bigger than they all thought.**Spoiler Alert**
Sad time here for me. It looks like I’m coming to an end to my no horror July and it will be a while before I get to spend a month watching sexploitation and blaxploitation. What better film to watch as my last blaxploitation flick for the next 6 months than to go with the Pam Grier lead Friday Foster. The film was another knockout and sits proudly on my shelf with her other films.
The acting is once again phenomenal. Grier shows again why she was the queen of blaxploitation. Her character is not as strong and powerful as her other roles but that is why it sets her apart from the others. Her character is helpless at times and at others it finds her using her brain and not her fighting skills. This was a whole new side to Pam and I fucking loved it. Shows how well she can adapt to her role. With that being said, she had one hell of a supporting cast. Everyone carried their weight and made every scene hit hard.
The story for this one is a little unconventional for a blaxploitation flick and more like an action mystery flick. It has some great actions, a solid “who-dun-it” if feel and some of the blaxploitation cliches that we know and love.
Finally, those of you wanting an early 70s action flick will be happy with this one. The action is fast paced and spread out evenly throughout the film resulting in very little down time for the film. Overall, Friday Foster is another exceptional blaxploitation film that shows just how amazing Pam Grier is. Solid action, some great acting, and a well written story. What else do you need?
Special Features:
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