With a lot of disinterest, I went to see the movie Superfly, a remake of a 1972 blacksploitation film (similar time and style as Shaft and Foxy Brown). It was a thing to see that had trailers that did nothing for me… I had more fun pretending they’d made a movie of my life since I, too, am superfly. Har.
But, much to my surprise and pleasure, this is a really good movie. It’s got visual style, great writing, and an overall cool aesthetic. It’s directed by Director X (which is a funny thing to say) who apparently makes a lot of music videos and you can tell… but in a good way.
Superfly is about a low level drug kingpin in Atlanta who has never been arrested and has never killed anyone. He gets into a stupid altercation with a member of a rival (but friendly) gang that leaves a girl shot and he realizes he wants to get out. So he plans one final big score which means he goes behind the back of his supplier and puts him in contact with the head of a Mexican drug cartel. Meanwhile, the rival gang decides to come for him and a pair of crooked cops want a cut of his business. And his two girlfriends stop yelling at each other and start yelling at him.
One Final Score is as generic a movie motivation as you can get and a lot of the trapping of the flick are things you’ve seen in other, worse movies. It’s true… but what works about the movie is that Priest (the main character) is smart, charismatic, and has hair we’d all kill for. He’s an antihero but he works and sells the film.
The film doesn’t have a lot of ideas on its mind beyond just being the story that it is. That said, it does take place in the real world and there’s a beatdown that will make some people in the audience cheer in Black Lives Matter catharsis. Also, the film takes place in Atalanta and there’s a fine punctuation point placed on a Confederate soldier statue.
I really enjoyed this film. I was very surprised. I can’t say it changes the world or does much original, but what it does, it does with style and thought.
Score: 87