Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 10, 2015

Coffy, Jack Hill’s 1973 opus featuring Pam Grier as a nurse with a Death Wish (so to speak), may have helped to establish the template of Blaxploitation fare starring Grier as a voluptuous avenging angel, but it was Hill’s 1974 outing Foxy Brown that really cemented the image of Grier that so many have found so unforgettable for so many years. Foxy was evidently supposed to be Coffy (again) in a sequel to the hit film, but for whatever reason the name if not the intent of the character was changed, and Foxy Brown perhaps eclipsed even Coffy in its impact and lasting legacy. Once again Grier is on the hunt for nefarious criminal types, criminal types once again involved in drugs (among other nasty business), and once again Grier is taken prisoner. In fact, a lot of Foxy Brown ends up playing like a rehash of Coffy, but perhaps surprisingly it’s still a viscerally exciting and enjoyable film, one which pretty easily elides any feeling of being derivative due to its own at times rather graphic violence and of course Grier’s pulchritudinous charms.

Coffy’s status as a nurse (at least putatively) is about the only manifest difference between that character and Foxy Brown, at least from a societal standpoint. Foxy, like Coffy, has a relationship with a cop, but in one of this film’s more fanciful constructions, the policeman, whose life is being threatened by mobsters he’s put away, has undergone plastic surgery to hide his identity, rather than simply going into the seemingly less invasive Witness Protection Program. Even that gambit fails, setting up the revenge scenario that propels the bulk of the film.

Interestingly (but probably not coincidentally), two of the nastiest bad guys (and/or gals) in this film are white, a sexually ambiguous woman named Katherine Wall (Kathryn Loder), and her cohort Steve Elias (Peter Brown), who run a “modeling agency” (meaning escort service). Foxy, much like Coffy, infiltrates this nefarious group, posing as one of the “working girls,” and (like Coffy) ultimately gets discovered and taken hostage. Will this avenging angel be able to escape and complete her appointed rounds? Three guesses, and the first two don’t count.

Playing out simultaneously to all of this is Foxy’s initially trusting relationship with her brother, the street smart if ultimately duplicitous Link (Antonio Fargas). But even this element is like a slightly morphed xerox copy of Coffy’s interactions with her boyfriend in Coffy, where traitorous behaviors are finally uncovered, leading to even more mayhem. Through it all, Grier struts her stuff with panache (and not just in the over the top credits sequence, which sees the actress dancing to some of the cheesiest “hip” quasi-psychedelic effects ever committed to celluloid).

What ultimately sets Foxy Brown apart from its predecessor is a kind of unusual concatenation of elements. Tonally this film is a bit more self-aware than Coffy was, seeming to wink, however slightly, at its own hyperbolic absurdities. It’s also obvious that American International realized what a star they had in Grier, and she’s given a rather sumptuous array of “stylish” seventies fashions to parade around in throughout the film, something that gives Foxy Brown an incredibly distinctive look.

The final element giving Foxy Brown its own peculiar “charm” is the almost incredible ridiculousness of some of the kills. Without spoiling what is one of the film’s most memorable achievements, suffice it to say that Foxy finds a number of inventive methods to off her prey, and one particular act of vengeance may have provided a bit of inspiration for a certain Loreena Bobbitt. Through it all, Grier grimaces and rages while looking absolutely fabulous in a variety of questionable outfit choices.

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Foxy Brown is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. As was the case with Coffy, this domestic release is "in competition" with an Arrow Blu-ray release reviewed by my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov. I'm not quite as sure these were sourced from the same master, as appeared to have been the case with Coffy, as the Olive Foxy Brown is, well, browner (or at least darker) than the Arrow, as evidenced by a cursory review of screenshots. Grain seems at least a bit more pronounced in the Olive release as well (again, going only by screenshots). That said, the image quality of Foxy Brown is clearer and sharper than on Coffy, looking like it was sourced off of something closer to an original element than Coffy was. While the Olive release is a bit darker than the Arrow, the color space looks generally accurate, with yellows and reds being especially vivid (and without the tilt toward orange that reds had in Coffy). There are some minor resolution issues with the grain field here (something that seemed to afflict the Arrow release as well, judging by Svet's comments). Elements have their fair share of minus density and issues like small scratches and dirt, but there's nothing overly problematic. As is almost always the case with Olive releases, this presentation has all of the dings of an unrestored element, but none of the problems of over aggressive digital tweaking.

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Perhaps surprisingly, Foxy Brown features a repurposed lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (the Arrow release sports an LPCM 2.0 track). Unfortunately, the repurposing has added a slightly phased quality at times, something that's more apparent on the funktastic score by Willie Hutch than in pure dialogue scenes. In fact it's the music that most confidently resides in the surrounds, as dialogue is still fairly stationary, leaving side and rear channels to handle individual sound effects like gunshots. Fidelity is fine and there are no issues with damage to warrant any concern.

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Exactly as was the case with Olive Films' release of Coffy, this domestic Foxy Brown offers none of the supplements that graced the recent Arrow Blu-ray reviewed by my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov.

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Foxy Brown may indeed be Coffy II in all but name, but despite its derivative nature the film is quite a bit of fun, highlighted by Grier's ferocity and some wonderfully ludicrous set pieces involving various revenge tactics. More distinctly "seventies" than Coffy, the film firmly thrust Grier into the limelight as the female face of Blaxploitation. Once again consumers rather unexpectedly have a choice when it comes to this niche fare. Those with region free players should probably at least check out the screenshots for the Arrow release, since that release comes with such excellent supplements. Those who already own the Arrow release may still want to spring for this one due to the surround audio, though that comes with some niggling issues. For those without a region free player, this Olive Films domestic Blu-ray release of Foxy Brown comes Recommended.