Superfly

R

1972

1h 36m

Crime

Drama

List

93%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

70%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

Priest (Ron O'Neal), a suave top-rung New York City drug dealer, decides that he wants to get out of his dangerous trade. Working with his reluctant friend, Eddie (Carl Lee), Priest devises a scheme that will allow him make a big deal and then retire. When a desperate street dealer informs the police of Priest's activities, Priest is forced into an uncomfortable arrangement with corrupt narcotics officers. Setting his plan in motion, he aims to both leave the business and stick it to the man.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

One of the most successful of the early '70s blaxploitation cycle.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Roger Greenspun

New York Times

A very good movie.

Rated: 4/5

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Curtis Mayfield's sizzling score may be the most enduringly superfly aspect of this blaxploitation classic.

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

Jimi Lawrence

Call and Post (Cleveland)

[Superfly] deals with a segment of life as it really exists, despite the wishes of many who would rather suppress or overlook it.

Mar 29, 2022

Full Review

Larry G. Coleman

New Pittsburgh Courier

There is fine acting throughout the film. Ron O'Neal's performance is superior.

Dec 14, 2021

Full Review

Samuel A. Hay

Baltimore Afro-American

Ron O'Neal Is supported by a good but uneven cast. There is a great deal of overacting. Acting on film requires a subtlety that, give experience, these new faces will soon master. But Parks' first effort is almost actor-proof and is well worth a trip.

Jul 15, 2020

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David K

One of the most iconic films of early 70's American cinema. The Curtis Mayfield music is outstanding and helps keep the film moving. Although criticized for its stereotypical blacks of urban environments, it's place is solidified in film history because it was part of a new movement in Black film - known primarily as Blaxploitation but perhaps ore accurately described as Soul Cinema. Well worth the time invested.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/23

Full Review

Michael W

This crime classic was great. Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Julian Harris, Sheila Frazier, and the rest of the cast did a great job in this movie. The plot of the movie was thrilling and dramatic. It's about wanting to get out of a rough life to make a new one at all costs. If you haven't seen this classic movie yet, check it out sometime. It's worth watching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

William L

Though the minds behind the film would claim that this blaxploitation classic was intended to be just as much an indictment of the lifestyle of a pusher as it was a criticism of the corruption and social inequality that forced people into it, the unexpected reality was that Super Fly's sense of style actually managed to override its very direct messaging, directly inspiring a subsequent generation of gangsters. That's the power of a Curtis Mayfield soundtrack. Undeniably suffering from the practical production limitations of most of its genre contemporaries, Super Fly actually seems to be cut from more well-designed cloth, introducing a protagonist that preserves the cool factor but actually demonstrating that he can't use swagger alone to topple an entrenched system of greased palms (unlike the simpler racial revenge fantasy narrative in something like a Shaft or Dolemite). The narrative goes out of its way to contradict the image of the well-dressed pimp/drug runner as an ideal to aspire to, instead depicting him as simply another tool in a larger enterprise. The editing is dodgy, many of the supporting actors are bargain-bin, and the pacing is slow by today's standards, but think of those as more the lingering fingerprints of a black film industry that was just finding its footing. It's an important and influential film, just don't expect it to compare too favorably with socially-conscious crime thrillers that have a half century or more of technical and genre development to compete with, apart from a top-notch soundtrack that no studio today could hope to emulate. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/06/21

Full Review

Audience Member

https://youtu.be/iN3KsbnQZxU

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

david f

I don't think it really had the excitement of the Pam Grier movies from around the same time.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A trip back in time into a dark world that offers ethereal travels, high rewards, and lethal risks. Curtis Mayfield compiled an excellent soundtrack.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Gordon Parks Jr.

Director

Ron O'Neal

Priest

Carl Lee

Eddie

Sheila Frazier

Georgia

Julius Harris

Scatter

Charles McGregor

Fat Freddie

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Synopsis

Priest (Ron O'Neal), a suave top-rung New York City drug dealer, decides that he wants to get out of his dangerous trade. Working with his reluctant friend, Eddie (Carl Lee), Priest devises a scheme that will allow him make a big deal and then retire. When a desperate street dealer informs the police of Priest's activities, Priest is forced into an uncomfortable arrangement with corrupt narcotics officers. Setting his plan in motion, he aims to both leave the business and stick it to the man.

Director: Gordon Parks Jr.
Screenwriter: Phillip Fenty
Production Co: Warner Bros., Sig Shore International
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2015
Runtime: 1h 36m

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