Review: Superfly

Drug dealer Youngblood Priest (Ron O’Neal) has made himself a good life in NYC, but is getting tired of that life. He decides to make one last big deal before getting out. Easier said than done. Carl Lee plays Eddie, Priest’s right-hand man of sorts, whilst Julius Harris plays mentor/restauranteur Scatter, and Charles McGregor plays the ill-fated Fat Freddie. Curtis Mayfield appears on screen to perform the immortal ‘Pusherman’ in a club scene.

 

Gritty, raw 1972 blaxploitation film from director Gordon Parks Jr. (“Three the Hard Way”), the son of Gordon Parks Sr. who directed the immortal “Shaft”. Parks the younger and screenwriter Phillip Fenty (writer-director of “The Baron” with Calvin Lockhart and Joan Blondell) give us a much tougher, fairly grim film but with some attention given to the usual blaxploitation trappings of bad hats, hot women, and an absolutely brilliant soundtrack by the great Curtis Mayfield. Even when the on-screen images indulge in the ‘glamorous’ side of drug dealing, Mayfield’s cautionary words are there to underpin it all with a gritty, anti-drug reality. Some (including star Ron O’Neal himself) find the mixture incongruous. I personally think the film is a lot less glamourising of the drug dealing game than those critics are giving it credit for. It’s one scene (with stills shot by Parks himself) depicting one euphoric moment in a film that otherwise shows what things are really like, and it ain’t pretty.

 

At the centre of it all is Ron O’Neal’s commanding, searing performance as drug dealer Youngblood Priest, looking to make one last big score before getting out of this dead-end life. It’s the film and performance that both made and yes likely limited the talented, stage-trained actor’s career (I’d say hubris and an ill-fated stint in the director’s chair for the unnecessary sequel “Superfly TNT” proved more damaging, however). Although it’s slightly heightened, O’Neal’s performance is leaps and bounds ahead of any other lead performance in a blaxploitation film. Charismatic, angry, authoritative, sensual, regal, dangerous, and super cool – he’s got it all, including magnificent long hair and the most stylish-looking skivvies (or turtle-necks, if you’re American). O’Neal’s Youngblood Priest is even a yellow belt in karate, though by the looks of the fight choreography I’d say O’Neal was closer to a leather belt. Next to the commanding, baritone-voiced O’Neal, the best performances come from Carl Lee and the always solid Julius Harris as Eddie and Scatter, respectively. Mayfield’s soundtrack is absolutely stellar, with my particular favourite being ‘Little Child Runnin’ Wild’, which opens the film. The music score by Johnny Pate (“Bucktown”, “Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde”, and the “Shaft” TV series) is one of the best in the subgenre, too. The top-notch location shooting by Parks and cinematographer James Signorelli (better known as a director and producer for TV’s long-running “Saturday Night Live”) is a chief asset too, including occasional handheld work.

 

Drug movies aren’t my thing, however this is so obviously extremely well-made for a subgenre – blaxploitation – that rarely produced well-made films. Cool, sexy, grim, sad, and must-see for those inclined.

 

Rating: B+