{"id":4449,"date":"2007-10-03T13:52:01","date_gmt":"2007-10-03T20:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4449"},"modified":"2022-09-06T08:24:36","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T15:24:36","slug":"superfly-1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4449","title":{"rendered":"Superfly (1972)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I know it&#8217;s a rotten game; it&#8217;s the only one the Man left us to play.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Poster-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Poster-1-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-68065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Poster-1-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Poster-1-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Poster-1-178x270.jpg 178w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Poster-1.jpg 497w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA successful coke dealer (Ron O&#8217;Neal) in Harlem decides to quit the business by making one final deal worth a million dollars &#8212; but his partner (Carl Lee) isn&#8217;t sure he&#8217;s ready to stop dealing.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>African Americans<\/li>\n<li>Drug Dealers<\/li>\n<li>New York City<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nDrenched in the sounds of a groovy Curtis Mayfield soundtrack, this enjoyable Blaxploitation flick (helmed by first-time director Gordon Parks, Jr.) received positive reviews upon its release, and has held up surprisingly well. These days, given Quentin Tarantino&#8217;s glorification of dealers and gangsters as hopelessly hip, it&#8217;s easy to accept Priest as a viable protagonist, someone we want to root for despite his questionable lifestyle. O&#8217;Neal &#8212; a stage-trained actor &#8212; has much to do with the film&#8217;s overall success; his performance is spot-on. While the story starts to lag about 2\/3rds of the way through, the remainder of the scenes are shot with skill and energy, making this an exciting journey back to 1970s Harlem.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ron O&#8217;Neal as Priest<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-priest.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-priest.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4453\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effective use of gritty Harlem streets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-streets.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-streets.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4452\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Nate Adams&#8217; flamboyant &#8217;70s outfits<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-outfits.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-outfits.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4454\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The Curtis Mayfield Experience performing &#8220;Pusherman&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/curtis-mayfield-superfly.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/curtis-mayfield-superfly.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4455\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Several exciting action sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-opening-chase.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-opening-chase.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4456\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The controversial &#8220;coke montage&#8221; (photographed by Gordon Parks, Sr.)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-montage.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/superfly-montage.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4451\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The surprisingly satisfying ending<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Superfly-Ending.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Curtis Mayfield&#8217;s funky score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its status as a seminal Blaxploitation flick. Listed as a cult movie in the back of Peary&#8217;s book.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0069332\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1972\/08\/05\/archives\/super-flyron-oneal-has-lead-as-narcotics-dealer.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/91970\/super-fly\/#articles-reviews?articleId=133221\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/75655\/superfly.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I know it&#8217;s a rotten game; it&#8217;s the only one the Man left us to play.&#8221; Synopsis: A successful coke dealer (Ron O&#8217;Neal) in Harlem decides to quit the business by making one final deal worth a million dollars &#8212; but his partner (Carl Lee) isn&#8217;t sure he&#8217;s ready to stop dealing. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: African Americans Drug Dealers New York City Review: Drenched in the sounds of a groovy Curtis Mayfield soundtrack, this enjoyable Blaxploitation flick (helmed&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4449\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4449"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86887,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4449\/revisions\/86887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}