Foxy Brown (1974)

Arguably the queen of the blaxploitation era, Pam Grier had already starred in The Big Doll House (1971) and Coffy (1973) before this, subjectively the jewel in the crown of the era for her.

Similar in tone to the previous years' Coffy, Grier's Foxy Brown swears vengeance on the mob after her brother sells her boyfriend (who was previously an undercover cop) out to them, to relinquish an unpaid debt. The film opens with an excellent opening ten minutes as we're introduced to Foxy's brother Link (an absolutely terrific turn from Antonio Fargas) who's being hunted by gangsters, and calls his sister for help. Foxy's toughness is immediately front and center as she shows no concern whatsoever by ramming one of them with her car.

With the bond between the siblings established in the opening half hour, Link's betrayal draws genuine feeling- a credit to both Grier and Fargas- and sets the rest of the film on a familiar route of vengeance and violence.

There's much to enjoy, and this is one of the strongest films of the genre, even if towards the end it somewhat loses its impact, but it's another vital influence on Tarantino's homage to blaxploitation cinema, (wrapped in an Elmore Leonard adaptation) Jackie Brown, of which Pam Grier was also, of course, the star. 7.2/10