Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 30, 2013

Jack Hill's "Foxy Brown" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with director Jack Hill; vintage trailers; new video piece with clips from interviews with the legendary Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, actors Austin Stoker and Rosanne Katon, and film scholar and filmmaker Howard S. Berger; video interview with actor Sid Haig; video interview with stuntman Bob Minor; and a collection of posters, publicity stills, and lobby cards. The release also arrives with an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Josiah Howard, author of "Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide", a new interview with Pam Grier by Jack Hill biographer Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters, as well as a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Red Dress. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

So how much did you go down for?

Busty Foxy Brown (Pam Grier, Black Mama, White Mama, The Big Bird Cage) gets angry when her lover, an undercover agent with a price on his head, is gunned down by a gang of white criminals. Unaware that her dope dealing brother Link (Antonio Fargas, The Gambler, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka) is connected to them and has betrayed her and her lover, Foxy Brown vows to kill the criminals and promptly becomes a call girl in their leader’s (Kathryn Loder, Big Doll House) escort agency. The madam’s right-hand man and lover (Peter Brown, Piranha) is immediately impressed by Foxy Brown’s figure, but decides to have a personal interview with her at a later time.

Soon after, Foxy Brown and a beautiful girl are sent to entertain a corrupt judge and his best pals. After the beautiful girl pops a couple of downers, Foxy Brown humiliates the judge and causes a big scandal. The madam’s goons promptly sent Foxy Brown to a secluded shack somewhere on the outskirts of the city where she is repeatedly drugged and raped. Eventually, she kills the two men keeping an eye on her and escapes.

While running for her life, Foxy Brown befriends a group of black radicals very much looking and sounding like the legendary Black Panthers. Assisted by the angry black boys, Foxy Brown punishes the white gangsters in the film’s rather strikingly violent finale.

Jack Hill’s sequel to his controversial Coffy is arguably the best of all blaxploitation films. It is appropriately raw and borderline offensive but undoubtedly hugely entertaining. It is also the type of film that can no longer be made by an American studio.

The film’s plot is definitely not its biggest strength. Right from the get-go it is made perfectly clear where the film is heading and why. For a very short period of time what it is unclear is how it will get there – but after the initial clash between Foxy Brown and Link everything becomes as transparent as it can be. The total transparency combined with the brash attitude is what gives the film its controversial charm. (To be perfectly clear, this means plenty of politically incorrect exchanges, racial slurs, and a good dose of nudity).

The second half of Foxy Brown has a lot in common with the Italian poliziotteschi films from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The only notable difference here is the fact that in the poliziotteschi films the use of different locations for the action is typically far more prominent. In Foxy Brown, the movement is rather limited. However, the atmosphere and tone of the film are essentially borrowed from the most violent, rude and aggressive poliziotteschi.

Grier and Fargas look decent enough, but many of the secondary characters look notably stiff in front of the camera. The orgy sequence with the judge is so bad that it is actually quite entertaining.

The film’s cracking soundtrack was produced by Willie Hutch. Two of the very best songs on the original soundtrack which Motown released back in 1975 are "Give Me Some of That Good Old Love" and "You Sure Know How to Love Your Man".

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jack Hill's Foxy Brown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

The high-definition transfer comes from an older master, but the basics are solid. Excluding some extremely light surface noise, most close-ups boast very pleasing depth (see screencapture #2). Detail and clarity are also good, though the latter occasionally fluctuates a bit during a few sequences where light is restricted. Colors are stable and natural. The best news, however, is that there are no traces of excessive degraining or sharpening corrections. Occasionally, it is easy to see that the high-definition transfer is indeed sourced from an older master as light noise becomes overexposed, but grain is indeed present and mostly stable. Unsurprisingly, when blown through a digital projector the film has a nice organic look. Finally, there are no serious stability issues. Also, there are a couple of tiny flecks that I spotted, but there are no damage marks, large debris, cuts, burn marks, or stains to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

While dynamic intensity is limited, depth and clarity are indeed very good. The music is also quite well rounded. The dialog is free of problematic background hiss, stable and easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, cracks, clicks, and audio dropouts. There are no high-frequency distortions either.

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer Reel - twenty minutes of vintage trailers (Foxy Brown, Spider Baby, The Big Doll House, The Bird Cage, Coffy, The Swinging Cheerleaders, Switchblade Sisters, and more). In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of posters, stills, and lobby cards.

• Back to Black - in this new video piece, the legendary Fred "The Hammer" Williamson (Hell Up In Harlem, Three The Hard Way), Austin Stoker (Assault on Precinct 13, Sheba, Baby), and Rosanne Katon (She Devils in Chains, Motel Hell) discuss the blaxploitation movement and its cultural significance. Also included are comments from film scholar and filmmaker Howard S. Berger. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• A Not so Minor Influence - in this new video piece, stuntman Bob Minor recalls how he broke into the business, his first encounter with director Jack Hill, and his work with Pam Grier in Foxy Brown. Mr. Minor was the first African-American member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (19 min)

• From Black and White to Blaxploitation - in this video interview, actor Sid Haig, who plays Hays in Foxy Brown, discusses his friendship with director Jack Hill and career. Mr. Haig appeared in a number of films directed by Mr. Hill, including The Big Doll House, Coffy, Foxy Brown, and Spider Baby. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Commentary - this is the same audio commentary with director Jack Hill that has appeared on previous DVD releases of Foxy Brown. Mr. Hill explains why he believes that Coffy was actually a better film than Foxy and discusses the different obstacles he and his team had to overcome before and during the shooting of the film, how certain sequences were filmed, the film's cult status, etc.

• Art Work - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Red Dress.

• Booklet - illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Josiah Howard, author of Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide, a new interview with Pam Grier by Jack Hill biographer Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Foxy Brown Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Arrow Video are treating cult films with the care and attention Criterion give classic and important contemporary films. For this type of work I have a great deal of respect. The latest addition to Arrow Video's catalog is Jack Hill's blaxploitation classic Foxy Brown, a wild but genuinely entertaining film with an attitude. I like how it looks on Blu-ray, and I really enjoyed the new supplemental features. Buy with confidence, folks. RECOMMENDED.