Misunderstood Masterpieces 2.26.08: Foxy Brown

Posted by Will Helm on 02.26.2008

…or, Pam Grier Is My Heroin Heroine

Though many, many men – such as Shaft, Priest from Superfly, and even Dolemite – vie for the throne of king of blaxploitation heroes, one woman shines through above all others as the true queen of the genre: Pam Grier. With a career beginning as the "Fourth Woman" in the classic Russ Meyer-Roger Ebert collaboration Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Pam Grier shuffled her way through a handful of "women in prison" flicks and even the legendary Black Mama, White Mama – admittedly one of the best titles ever – before hitting it big with her first breakout role in the 1973 blaxploitation hit Coffy. After making a name for herself as the titular – no pun intended, considering Pam Grier's prodigious endowments – nurse-turned-vigilante, Grier bided her time in the grindhouse classics Scream Blacula Scream and The Arena before returning to the fore with the sort-of sequel to Coffy, 1974's Foxy Brown.

Directed by Jack Hill, last seen helming The Swinging Cheerleaders, Foxy Brown was originally slated to be the sequel to Coffy, but those plans were changed during production, muddling a bit of the plot. Regardless, Foxy Brown would still grow to become regarded as one of the best and most influential blaxploitation flicks, thanks to a plot filled with classic blaxploitation clichés – such as urban life, drugs, hookers, and white people as the villains; great, over-the-top acting; unbelievably extreme action; and, of course, good, old-fashioned nudity. Of course, even though Foxy Brown does have such a pedigree and credentials, that doesn't necessarily mean it belongs in these pages; the study still needs to take place. So, therefore, the question must be asked: Is Foxy Brown truly a Misunderstood Masterpiece? Let's find out!

Foxy Brown warms my heart in only the first minute or two by featuring Pam Grier dancing in a psychedelically animated credits sequence, accompanied by some of the funkiest music I've ever heard. It might not be James Bond, but it'll work for now. In addition, whoever put together the credits sequence made sure to highlight Ms. Grier by dressing her in a plethora of outfits, probably for all the budding fashionistas in the crowd. After the opening ends, a giant "pimpmobile" drives directly into the camera! Lookout! Actually, the "pimpmobile" turns down a darkened – VERY darkened . . . but that isn't some sort of racist pun; it's just really badly lit – alley; meanwhile, TV's Huggy Bear (Antonio Fargas) wanders the streets, probably searching for Starsky and/or Hutch. Instead of his two cop buddies, Huggy finds there are two other white guys who want to chat with him, but it probably won't be a very constructive conversation. Before the "conversation" can begin, two cops show up at a nearby taco stand because they, Huggy Bear, and the two sinister white guys all want tacos and coffee. Umm . . . that's a strange combination.

While the cops and the white guys enjoy their tacos and coffee, Huggy calls his sister, Foxy Brown (Grier), because he senses trouble; maybe he's the "urban" member of the Scooby Gang. Foxy, as she's probably done a multitude of times before, agrees to bail out her ne'er-do-well brother, but, in the meantime, Huggy has to stall for time by bragging about the coffee. The cops, though impressed by the quality of the coffee, elect to go back on duty after their brief respite, leaving Huggy to contend with the two sinister white guys. Honestly, why Huggy didn't just punch one of the cops and get hauled away is beyond me; maybe that wasn't a crime back then or something. Anyway, before the sinister white guys can beat some sense into Huggy for reasons unexplained, Foxy shows up in her sweet ride and rescues Huggy and, in the process, runs over the sinister white guys. Go, Foxy, go.

Back at home, Foxy scolds Huggy for his inequities, but he states that he's just in trouble because he needed money for a "business" . . . a gambling business. I guess one could simply consider Huggy to be an "urban entrepreneur" and he needed a little venture capital. Unfortunately, the venture capital came with strings attached as, now, Huggy is in the hole for 20 grand, but at least he's now sort of legitimate, which Foxy should be proud of. She would be proud, though, if Huggy didn't hate Foxy's rat boyfriend, who may or may not be a government informant or agent. Dum-dum-DUM! Foxy, though her brother disapproves of her boyfriend, agrees to let Huggy stay at her place until the heat dies down; he thanks her with a gripping dramatic monologue. For your consideration, Academy. Foxy, ever hopeful, thinks Huggy's got potential – perhaps as a Shakespearean actor – but he misses his prison buddies, so he'll probably be headed there first, rather than the Globe Theater.

Elsewhere, a disco pimp (Peter Brown) – complete with egregious gold medallion – yells at the sinister white guys, perhaps to impress some chick (Kathryn Loder) sitting nearby. After the disco pimp sends the sinister white guys away, the chick reveals herself to be the mastermind of the operation and she wants the money Huggy owes, no matter what . . . and then she and the disco pimp make out. Mmm . . . I bet he tastes like coke. And not the cola. Meanwhile, Foxy visits some bandaged guy in the hospital; he's looking a bit beat up, but he reveals that he's actually feeling better . . . after some undisclosed procedure. Apparently, he had a little visit with Dr. 90210 as he fears that Foxy won't be interested in the "new him." Apparently, Foxy still does, as she elects to play "head" nurse, just for the beat-up guy's enjoyment. Before they can really get to business, they're rudely interrupted by a real nurse, who breaks up the fun and slaps the beat-up guy on the erection before giving him a bath. OUCH! That gives new meaning to the term "crotch chop."

Later that evening, a doctor removes the beat-up guy's bandages, revealing dashing government agent Dalton Ford is now nondescript Michael Anderson (Terry Carter). Another guy, who, presumably, was Dalton's boss with the Agency – whichever agency that was is never really disclosed – rewards Mr. Anderson with a new identity and the credentials to back it up. Though Mr. Anderson is now totally not Dalton Ford anymore, he's ticked that the investigations of his previous life didn't stick, all because of corruption in the system. Hmm . . . I smell foreshadowing! After Mr. Anderson negotiates a bit of a break from his hospital stay with the doctor, he and Foxy head down to the streets, where they watch some guys beat up a pimp because they're sort-of vigilantes. Though Foxy is impressed by their tactics, Mr. Anderson isn't as approving as he's a straight-laced narc and not into street justice.

Meanwhile, back at Foxy's, Huggy chats on the phone with some random white hooker who, luckily for Huggy, didn't rat him out. Unfortunately for Huggy, she doesn't have any money for him either. Before Huggy can let loose another dramatic monologue, he's interrupted by Foxy and her "new" boyfriend, Mr. Anderson. Huggy, perhaps sensing that he's cramping his sister's style, generously leaves to allow Foxy and Mr. Anderson some privacy to get it on. After the brief bit of coitus, Mr. Anderson leaves to go back to the hospital so that he can be formally released . . . even though he's been out of the hospital most of the day anyway.

With Mr. Anderson away, Huggy questions Foxy about the "new" man in her life and he insinuates that he's not cool with narcs, like her "old" boyfriend. Foxy, packing her bags for a little vacation with Mr. Anderson, tells Huggy to stay put . . . which probably isn't the best thing because, after Foxy leaves, Huggy entertains himself by discerning – by doodling on an old newspaper clipping of Dalton Ford – that he and Mr. Anderson are one in the same! Elsewhere, a random accountant measures out some smack for the disco pimp and he makes a deal with a stereotypically sleazy Italian guy. Moments later, much to his elation, he finds out that Mr. Anderson is, in fact, the legendary narc Dalton Ford . . . thanks to the turncoat Huggy! The only unfortunate part of it all is that he's already been killed once – thanks to the sinister white guys – but I guess he's back for REVENGE! Before REVENGE can be served, the chick wants Mr. Anderson dead, so the disco pimp and the sinister white guys go to work.

Sometime later, perhaps after their vacation, Foxy and Mr. Anderson go for a little drive and then they split up for a moment, with Foxy going home while Mr. Anderson takes a jaunt to the local drugstore. Perhaps they should've stayed together, however, as the sinister white guys choose this moment to carry out their contract on Mr. Anderson . . . and Foxy isn't happy at all. After, elsewhere, Huggy measures out some coke with his white hooker friend; before Huggy has a chance to sample the merchandise or pack it up, Foxy comes over for a visit . . . and she's fueled by the fires of REVENGE! Foxy, in the process of questioning her brother, shoots at him with her tiny guy and then, by shooting him in the ear, she gets him to rat out the chick and the disco pimp. Oh yeah . . . now it's on!

Foxy, somewhat undercover, goes to see the chick at the chick's thinly veiled "modeling agency" . . . which is actually a front for a prostitution ring. Then again, how is that any different than a traditional modeling agency? In her meeting with the chick, Foxy impresses her would-be boss by being all business, so Foxy gets the gig . . . as a high-priced hooker. Later that evening, Foxy goes to the chick's house and, while the chick yells at some random hooker for gaining five pounds, Foxy undresses upstairs, much to the disco pimp's enjoyment. The chick, however, does not approve of the disco pimp's interest in Foxy, as she should be the disco pimp's one and only.

After the chick dresses Foxy in a fine dress, she teams Foxy up with some tranny and gives them a job for the evening. On the way out of the house, the tranny shows Foxy the ropes . . . until the tranny's son and husband show up to cause trouble. Whoa . . . I guess the tranny isn't a tranny after all. Whoops. Anyway, after a brief bit of family drama, the disco pimp shows up to break up the Lifetime moment and brawl with the husband a bit, just because he's the disco pimp and no one messes with the disco pimp.

In the limousine on the way to the job, Foxy and the not-tranny bond a bit after the not-tranny pops a few downers to take the edge off her personal melodrama. After hatching a scheme, Foxy and the not-tranny arrive at some judge's party, complete with random old white guys and naked HOT CHICKS. While the naked HOT CHICKS entertain the random old white guys, Foxy and the not-tranny make bad judicial puns for the judge's amusement before accompanying him to his chambers, probably so that they can strip him of his legal briefs and pound his gavel. Hey . . . if they can do it, I can do it too. In the judge's bedroom, Foxy and the not-tranny enact their plan by messing with the judge and mocking his rather unimpressive endowment. Then, through a convoluted series of events, Foxy and the not-tranny get a horde of old ladies to beat him up for being a pervert. With the judge subdued, the not-tranny has a nervous breakdown, but Foxy pledges to help her because she's, technically, a hooker with a heart of gold.

Sometime later, the chick and the disco pimp have a little chat because they're unhappy that, through Foxy and the not-tranny's interference, the judge let them down and sent two of their dealers up the river. The disco pimp, proving that the cocaine hasn't dulled his powers of deduction, blames Foxy for the failure. Look at the big brain on the disco pimp! Speaking of Foxy, with her foray into prostitution now through, she heads home, where she has the not-tranny for safekeeping . . . but, alas, the not-tranny isn't there. Strangely, instead, the not-tranny is actually in a lesbian bar down the street, where the bartender thinks something's up because the not-tranny is a little too fem for the scene. Even though she kind of looks like a tranny. Maybe it's a ‘70s thing. Anyway, the bartender has some trucker chick hit on the not-tranny, but Foxy finds them together and breaks up the scene by scolding the not-tranny for her insolence. The trucker chick doth protest, so Foxy beats her up with a barstool and then – unbelievably – a lesbian-bar brawl breaks out! Honestly, that is a sentence I never thought I'd ever have the pleasure of writing. While all the lesbians fight inside, Foxy and the not-tranny break out . . . just as the disco pimp and the sinister white guys show up! The not-tranny, with Foxy's help, escapes, but Foxy gets captured in the process. Dum-dum-DUM!

At some random abandoned warehouse – because all villains lease them, the chick has the sinister white guys torture Foxy and, as well, they find out that she's Mr. Anderson's girlfriend . . . and Huggy's sister! The chick is amazed by these revelations, so she elects to send Foxy out to the country as a bit of REVENGE . . . for some reason. Once there, Foxy is put into the care of a pair of drunken hillbillies – which seems to be a running blaxploitation cliché in and of itself. Foxy, finding herself unbound, tries to escape from the hillbillies' hilarious clutches, but she's caught and whipped for her troubles. At least the hillbillies hook her up with a little smack to ease the pain of the whipping and tying her to the bed. That's awfully nice of them.

After Foxy awakens from a narcotic stupor, she grabs a razor blade with her giant tongue and uses it to escape from her bonds. After setting herself free, Foxy then steals a few wire hangers from the closet for reasons unexplained . . . until she uses them to claw out the eyes of one of her hillbilly captors! Joan Crawford would be proud. While the first hillbilly lumbers around the shack blindly, Foxy sets the other hillbilly on fire and then she blows up the cabin. After discovering the hillbillies' demise, the disco pimp isn't pleased by the development and neither is the chick. The chick, who seems to be, at times, psychic, deduces that Foxy is behind the catastrophe . . . and she wants REVENGE! OK, I'm starting to get confused by how much REVENGE there is in this movie.

Anyway, at the start of the path to REVENGE, Huggy gets some action with his white hooker chick and then he does some coke, probably just so that he can be really paranoid about getting a venereal disease or something. Before Huggy and the white hooker chick can go for round two, they're rudely interrupted by the sinister white guys and the disco pimp, who questions Huggy and then accidentally shoots him . . . before finishing the job while one of the sinister white guys kills the white hooker. With the chick's REVENGE now in gear, Foxy counters with her own scheme for REVENGE as she meets with the vigilantes from earlier in the film. While the vigilantes are reluctant to get involved, Foxy stirs them to action with a moving and inspirational monologue; for your consideration, Academy.

Later, Foxy goes to a bar so she can hit on grindhouse legend Sid Haig and beg him for a "plane ride." Now that's a very strange sexual euphemism. Elsewhere, the chick fears for the disco pimp's life because she's afraid that a deal is going to go wrong in the near future; she needn't worry, though, as the disco pimp insincerely reassures her that everything will be fine. Ah . . . famous last words. Elsewhere, Foxy and Sid Haig go for a "plane ride" . . . literally. Oh geez; that's a bit awkward. And here I thought they meant something TOTALLY different.

Anyway, while Sid Haig and Foxy fly, the disco pimp – who's probably flying in a different way – rides up to a random shack to make another drug deal. To that end, Sid Haig arrives with a bowling bag full of . . . something, while, nearby, the vigilantes arrive as part of Foxy's grand plan. While Sid Haig and the disco pimp negotiate terms, Foxy steals Sid Haig's plane and, in the process, chops up a random henchman with the propeller. OH YEAH! Go, Foxy, go! Moments later, another henchman is killed by bad editing as bullet holes somehow miraculously appear on his body. With all the henchmen thwarted – and Sid Haig nowhere to be found, Foxy and the vigilantes chase down the disco pimp and, with Foxy's assent, the vigilantes castrate him! Whoa . . . that's heavy, man.

As a denouement, Foxy visits the chick's mansion, where the sinister white guys fondle Foxy while searching for guns and weapons. Foxy, ever generous, gives the chick the disco pimp's junk in a pickle jar and then, while the chick freaks out, Foxy somewhat comically pulls a gun out of her afro and shoots the sinister white guys with it. The chick, seeking even more REVENGE for the emasculation of the disco pimp, pulls a knife on Foxy, but, as a gun beats a knife 99.9% of the time, Foxy shoots the chick in the shoulder to subdue her. Surprisingly, though the chick expects it, Foxy refuses to land the coup de grâce, instead choosing that leaving the chick with her eunuch disco pimp is REVENGE enough. That Foxy Brown, she's a whole lotta woman.

Perhaps surprisingly, Foxy Brown is far better than I expected. Though touching on most blaxploitation clichés, Foxy Brown makes up for its traditional aspects by ramping up the action and intensity. Seriously, I was expecting neither a lesbian-bar brawl, a castration, nor a guy getting chopped up by an airplane propeller. Yet, remarkably, all of these elements are welcome additions to a blaxploitation classic and one of the best Misunderstood Masterpieces of recent memory.

Join me next week as I tackle a sort-of remake of a blaxploitation legend, with the added bonus of the Awesome Power of Samuel L. Jackson™. See you then!