Super Fly

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

Priest (Ron O’Neal) is an up-and-coming successful cocaine dealer in New York City. On his way to a meeting point in Harlem early one morning he is mugged by two junkies. Priest beats one up and gives chase to the other where he gets his money back and kicks him in an apartment. Afterwards, Fat Freddie and Nate Adams (Priest’s main dealers) turn up at his apartment to make their payments. Fat Freddie is short and doesn’t have his money. Priest warns him that either he is going to get his money by robbing someone or he will put his wife out on “whore’s row”. Priest gives them a gun and the pair go out to rob a Mafia member after they follow him to New Jersey. Priest then goes to meet his partner in crime, Eddie (Carl Lee), who is playing craps downtown, to discuss his future plans. The pair go back to Eddie’s apartment where Priest tells Eddie he wants out of the business but wants to make one last big score and to make one million dollars in four months. Eddie, who tries to talk him out of it as he loves the lifestyle, reluctantly goes along with Priest’s ambitions and the pair agree to make one last big score.

Later that night, Priest and Eddie arrive at Scatter’s restaurant. Scatter (Julius Harris), is a retired drug dealer who was a mentor to Priest. After watching the band play (The Curtis Mayfield Experience), the two go into the kitchen to discuss business with Scatter. Priest tells Scatter his plans and that he needs him to provide him with 30 kilograms of coke.

Scatter, who has retired from the cocaine business, gets frustrated at them and tells them he cannot help. After Eddie angers Scatter, Scatter puts a gun to his head. Scatter then agrees to supply Priest the 30 keys. The trio agree to a meeting time and Priest and Eddie leave to meet Fat Freddie and Nate. Freddie has Priest’s money from the successful holdup and the three of them talk over a beer. Priest accidentally reveals to Freddie and Nate that he is picking up one key of coke from Scatter. Priest then goes home to a romantic evening with his girlfriend, Georgia (Sheila Frazier).

The following day, Freddie is arrested in Harlem for assault and is questioned by narcotics detectives (cocaine was found on him) who beat him into a confession. Freddie rats out Priest and Eddie and tells the police that there are around 50 family members (dealers) and that Priest and Eddie are picking up a key of coke that night from Scatter (who pays off the same detectives). Freddie is released but tries to escape outside the police precinct and is hit by a car and killed. Meanwhile Priest and Georgia are in Central Park discussing Priest’s ambitions in getting out and leaving New York and taking her with him.

Later that night, Priest and Eddie go to pick up one key of coke from Scatter but the detectives are waiting. Alerted, Priest walks away but one of the detectives follows him down a dark street where Priest is ambushed and held at gun point with Eddie who was already arrested. The detectives make a deal with the pair and tell them they can operate but must make payments of $10,000 a month. Priest obviously is uncomfortable with this but Eddie happily agrees saying that ‘the man’ is on our side.

The pair then goes on to sell a kilo of cocaine, which is shown in a classic photo montage scene with “Pusherman” playing. Priest and Eddie arrive in a bar in Harlem to meet a potential buyer. While they are waiting, three black activists approach them who are trying to shake Priest down for money for their cause. Priest demands they leave as he has a meeting and will not be lured into their scam. Their buyer arrives and samples the cocaine and agrees to make a deal and to ‘get it on!’

Priest is at Cynthia’s apartment (his other girlfriend who is from Manhattan and has corporate contacts). Priest is unsure about staying with her and the pair has an argument. Scatter arrives at the apartment with information about ‘The Man’ and asks Priest for $20,000 in cash as he must leave town. After Scatter leaves, he is arrested by the narcotics detectives. The police no longer need Scatter and dispose of him in his Rolls Royce with a large dose of heroin to shut him up. Priest learns of this, and suspecting something is wrong, meets with two mafia contractors in a café to discuss business. Although words are not said, it is clear that Priest is asking them for a contract for murder. This is his insurance policy.

Priest arrives at Eddie’s apartment and discusses the murder of Scatter. Telling him the news that he was killed by the police, Priest suggests foul play and that the police were behind it in order to use him and Eddie to make larger buys and to stay in business. Priest demands his half of the money and wants to get out. Eddie tells him that he can’t do anything else, especially pimpin’ as he doesn’t have the ‘stomach’ for it. Eddie gives him his share and then calls the detectives and tells them that Priest has left with a briefcase full of money. Priest then exchanges his briefcase in the elevator with Georgia who is in disguise. By the time he arrives to his car, the police have arrived. They detain him until the narcotics detectives come and then they all leave. Priest watches Georgia leave with his money knowing it’s safe.

Priest is then escorted to the waterfront where Deputy Commissioner Reardon (Sig Shore) is waiting for him. Reardon, who is running the extortion racket, chastises Priest for wanting to leave the business and tells him he will be “nothing more than another two-bit black junkie.” A fight breaks out and Priest uses his karate skills to overcome the detectives. Reardon then pulls his gun and the fighting stops. Priest then explains he has placed a murder contract on Reardon and his family if any harm comes to him from the police. He tells him that he’s smarter than those other “niggers” and that he has contracted the best killers there are, “White ones, baby! White ones!” Reardon claims that Priest doesn’t have any money for something like that as they open his briefcase. Dirty clothes fall out and Priest claims that doing his laundry will not help. Priest then hops into his customized Cadillac Eldorado and drives off, victorious.

REVIEW:

I can’t fully recall where I first heard of Super Fly. It was either in the 80s with “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, during the time when Snoop was first adopting his 70s persona, or when Curtis Mayfield passed away. Either way, aside from Shaft, Super Fly is one of the most iconic films of the 70s.

What is this film about?

Youngblood Priest, who is never actually called “Super Fly” anywhere in the film as far as I can tell, is a cocaine dealer going about usual drug dealer business. He wants to go on to bigger and better things, which isn’t a bad thing, but it does get him into trouble. In his efforts to spread into a bigger market, he enlists his old mentor, Scatter, who had retired from the drug business and is now running a restaurant. Reluctantly, he decides to help Priest and his partners in crime. It is next to impossible to sell drugs and not have the cops come after you, especially in the movies. So, here come the cops, and they want a piece of the action, or they’re taking Priest and his boys to jail. Does Priest stay out of jail? Can he evade “the man”? Will he make a better name for himself and get out of the drug game?

What did I like?

Themes. I do believe this is one of the few films, that I am aware of, that is about drug dealers, but doesn’t glorify them or make them seem like the scum of the other. Instead, they go the route of making him human. Rather you want to admit it or not, drug dealers are, above all, human.

Music. Curtis Mayfield’s smooth, funky groove is all over this thing, and fits it totally. He and his group even appear early on playing a tune in the club/bar.

Length. Sometimes, films like this tend to drag on and be way too long. I’m not saying this one didn’t drag on, but at least it ended within a decent amount of time.

What didn’t I like?

Get to the point. I somehow knew going into this thing that it wasn’t going to be an all out brawl-type flick, but for goodness sakes, they could have done a better job with getting from beginning to end without losing the audience’s interest about halfway though. I know that I was out of it not long after that “Pusherman” montage.

Cops. Is there some written law in 70s and early 80s flicks where the cops and/or military have to be corrupt? It seems like every films I’ve seen from that era involve shady character that are supposed to be the good guys? No wonder no one has trusted the police for such a long time!

Overrated. People gush all over this flick like it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I didn’t hate the flick, but I certainly didn’t see any reason for it be deserving of such high praise. Maybe after I watch it a couple of time, my mind will change, but for now, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Super Fly never really take off the ground in terms of greatness in my book, but I can see how some people would like it. This film is so quintessentially 70s that folks are sure to be drawn to it. However, the film itself is a bit of a bore, if I do say so myself. Do I recommend it? Sure, but only so you can say that you’ve seen it.

3 out of 5 stars