Forget the blaxpop label, SUPER FLY is a minor classic that made a fortune for Warner Bros. Studios in 1972-73. This slick urban romp appealed to all audiences, the evidence was lofty VHS sales (why this hasn't hit DVD I don't know) and a soundtrack that was instant hall of fame material.
Ron O'Neal as Priest, is only different from some 80's Wall Street green mailers, by the cut of his clothes and the curb feelers on his Eldorado Custom (the car used in the film actually belonged to one of NYC's bigger pimps). Like the yuppie trash in WALL STREET, Priest is also looking for one big score so he can quit the business: in this case, pushing cocaine.
"I know it's a rotten game, " opines Eddie, Priest's friend and business partner. "But it's the only one the man left us to play." Social ills commentary aside, SUPER FLY never gets heavy handed, preachy or cheap. It moves and plays out nicely. The acting is credible, both lead and support. The late Carl Lee is a powerhouse as Eddie and when he tells Priest, "{i}f it wasn't for you I'd be OD or in prison," you feel for his certain impending condemnation. O'Neal, a classics trained actor no less, never camps it up despite the (now laughable) wardrobe. He makes Priest likeable, even though self identification with the dope man is limited.
The legacy of the film is the Curtis Mayfield soundtrack. There are not enough adjectives to describe it's brilliance. Mayfield was a genius, his work after SUPER FLY was never equaled simply because it couldn't be. To date, every track plays as powerfully as it did its first time. The true test of time honor.
Ron O'Neal as Priest, is only different from some 80's Wall Street green mailers, by the cut of his clothes and the curb feelers on his Eldorado Custom (the car used in the film actually belonged to one of NYC's bigger pimps). Like the yuppie trash in WALL STREET, Priest is also looking for one big score so he can quit the business: in this case, pushing cocaine.
"I know it's a rotten game, " opines Eddie, Priest's friend and business partner. "But it's the only one the man left us to play." Social ills commentary aside, SUPER FLY never gets heavy handed, preachy or cheap. It moves and plays out nicely. The acting is credible, both lead and support. The late Carl Lee is a powerhouse as Eddie and when he tells Priest, "{i}f it wasn't for you I'd be OD or in prison," you feel for his certain impending condemnation. O'Neal, a classics trained actor no less, never camps it up despite the (now laughable) wardrobe. He makes Priest likeable, even though self identification with the dope man is limited.
The legacy of the film is the Curtis Mayfield soundtrack. There are not enough adjectives to describe it's brilliance. Mayfield was a genius, his work after SUPER FLY was never equaled simply because it couldn't be. To date, every track plays as powerfully as it did its first time. The true test of time honor.