Reardon threatens Priest that he must continue selling drugs as long as he is ordered to, but when Priest replies defiantly, the policemen begin to beat him. But getting out isn't as easy as Priest hopes when it's revealed that the actual supplier from the police is higher up the chain of command, and this supplier wants Priest dead if he quits. [11], After an initial gross of $24.8 million, the film was re-released in 1973 and earned $2 million in US and Canada rentals. Priest is then picked up by the lieutenant and other policemen and taken to the waterfront, where he is confronted by Reardon in person. This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 20:33. In the middle of the film, a sequence of still photographs, taken by director Gordon Parks, Jr., illustrates how the thirty kilos of cocaine purchased by Youngblood Priest and Eddie is prepared, distributed and used. Freddie attempts to escape and is killed when he runs in front of a car. And then when you get closer, obviously its them. | Deputy Commissioner: You're working for me until I tell you to quit. Ya know, you've got this fantasy in your head about gettin outta the life and setting that other world on its ear. Priest plays good guy by handing the victims friends a wad of cash and giving them the name of the best local trauma center. SuperFly (2018) Cast & Crew Cast; Crew; Trevor Jackson Youngblood Priest Jason Mitchell Eddie Michael Kenneth Williams Scatter Lex Scott Davis Georgia Jennifer Morrison Detective Mason Kaalan Walker Juju Esai Morales Adalberto Gonzalez Andrea Londo Cynthia Big Bank Black "Q" Big Boi Mayor Atkins Jacob Ming-Trent Fat Freddie . [6], At the time of its release, there were many African-Americans that were displeased with the images of themselves portrayed in films such as Super Fly, Sweet Sweetbacks Baadassssss Song, and Shaft. And indeed, when they pop up, they infuse the movie with fresh rhythm. Featured image:Jason Mitchell and Trevor Jackson in SUPERFLY. I took a $100,000 contract out on your life, your wife, EVERYBODY. Now we're through talkin'. In addition, the picture marked the first screenplay written by Philip Fenty. One day, Priest confronts Fat Freddie, one of his dealers, about money that Freddie owes and threatens to force Freddie's wife into prostitution unless he robs a competitor. I wanted Georgia to have a maturity about her. On the one hand, its a clever idea to have the pair negotiate drug supplies while sparring in Scatters martial-arts gym; on the other, the cleverness becomes beside the point because Director X cant manage to make both the action and the dialogue work in tandem. How Do I Protect My Young Child from Cyberbullying? Scatter, who now runs a popular restaurant, initially refuses to help Priest, but Priest plays on his emotions, claiming that he wants to get out while he is young and before he has to endure the extreme hardships faced by Scatter. If this wing can do ok in 10-12mph winds, I'm in. Working some jive job for chump change day after day. Priest must find a way to keep the money he has made while staying several steps ahead of the corrupt police department. A 1972 Blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks Jr. Ron O'Neal stars as Priest, an up-and-coming successful cocaine dealer in New York City. In general, I wanted to use module torch_geometric - this I have installed. But the new movie puts Priest, Georgia, and Cynthia together in a threesome set in a shower, a trivially smarmy titillation that stands in contrast to a sex scene involving Georgia and Priest in Super Fly, where Parks creates something thats both erotic and non-pornographic. If you are a California resident, California law may consider certain disclosures of data a sale of your personal information (such as cookies that help Motion Picture Association later serve you ads, like we discuss in our. That night, Eddie and Priest approach Scatter, a retired dealer who started Priest in the business. [8] Several California organized crime veterans, including drug trafficker "Freeway" Rick Ross, have cited the film as an influence in their decision to take up drug dealing and gang violence. He lives with his two girlfriends, Georgia and Cynthia. If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't be here, I'd be O.D'ed some place. Scatter is captured by the corrupt policemen, who give him a fatal overdose of drugs. It was like the fastest production ever!, says the Jamaican-born designer. The new Superfly transplants the tale to the swank environs of contemporary upscale Atlanta, and it gives its hero the 21st-century equivalent of ONeals processed-pimp look. The remake, by Director X, is set in Atlanta, and the night life and its artificial light (as well as an emphasis on indoor locations rather than street life), suggests that Priest and the other drug dealers in his realm occupy a hermetic underworld. The moral conundrum of drug dealing among African-Americans was addressed mostly by Curtis Mayfields superb soundtrack, which functioned as a kind of Greek chorus. Some violence, including one of the characters getting struck and killed by a car. Youngblood Priest: You better take real good care of me. Altogether, such an independently financed film ultimately had unusually large financial backing. With such a big score, they can retire comfortably. Deputy Commissioner: Who the f*** do you think you're talking to? In Jan 1973, trade papers reported that although it previously had been announced as under consideration as a nominee, Mayfields song Freddies Dead had been ruled ineligible for entry in the Best Original Song category because it appeared in the film only as an instrumental. Synopsis Youngblood Priest, a young Atlanta cocaine kingpin, has been working the streets since he was eleven. Using his knowledge of karate, Priest overcomes his foes, then reveals that he knows who Reardon is. Youngblood Priest: You don't own me pig. Franklin kills Freddie and Rochelle. It holds your attention yet leaves you with nothing. [5] The film made $1.2 million on its first day,[9] $938,583 on its second and $1.8 million on its third. This Superfly has original songs by the hip-hop artist Future, whos also a producer of the film. Youngblood Priest (Ron O'Neal), an African-American cocaine dealer, enjoys a luxurious lifestyle in Harlem. We won't share this comment without your permission. If I quit now, then I took all this chance for nothing and I go back to being nothing. The next day, Freddie is picked up for fighting, and when he is beaten by the police, he reveals when and where Priest and Eddie are to pick up the first kilo of cocaine from Scatter. Once Priest decides to pursue his "last score," he seeks help from his mentor in crime, Scatter, played by an avuncular but cautiously sinister Michael Kenneth Williams. Theres a bit of old school dandy to Scatter but at the same time hes into martial arts, so I wanted to combine those two worlds, Messam explains. Although the timid Freddie abhors violence, he agrees and accompanies a member of Priests family of lower-level dealers to commit the robbery. The movie generated roughly $4 million in profits. Its comments on the lack of legitimate opportunity for African Americans in the inner city remains relevant -- relevant enough to bring on a remake of the movie 46 years after the original film's release. Scatter, who now runs a popular restaurant, initially refuses to help Priest, but Priest plays on his emotions, claiming that he wants to get out while he is young and before he has to endure the extreme hardships faced by Scatter. In his flattened long hair and wide collars and designer sideburns, he may have looked like a coke-spoon version of DArtagnan, but his need to claw his way out to use the drug game to defeat the man suffused every scene. The next day, Freddie is picked up for fighting, and when he is beaten by the police, he reveals when and where Priest and Eddie are to pick up the first kilo of cocaine from Scatter. Priests clothes are predominantly dark and subtle because Priest doesnt want to bring attention to himself, Messam says. Youngblood Priest: Don't argue with me, man, I'm trying to give you a chance. Working with his reluctant friend, Eddie (Carl Lee), Priest . In this regard, Superfly mirrors the original, in which Priest also had two girlfriends by those names. Lex Scott Davis plays Georgia, a sophisticated gallery owner involved with Priest. Youngblood Priest: I ain't givin' you sh*t! I took away from it a desire to pay homage to Atlanta by reflecting the community through the costumes.. Killed while trying to hunt down Priest. In the movie, that underworld comes to the surface of society mainly in the form of media representations (such as television-news accounts)which are themselves part of the story, and part of the sleek glow with which Director X endows his film. Scatter surprises Priest at Freddie's funeral, ordering him to meet with his supplier Adalberto, after finding out Priest cut a secret deal for more product. Is More Colossal Than Ever Imagined; Dinos Still Rule With $60M+ Second Weekend", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superfly_(2018_film)&oldid=1140373587, Fictional portrayals of the Atlanta Police Department, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Priest's white mistress, Cynthia, is dismayed to learn that Priest does not return her love and is planning on quitting the business. To me that movie felt like an accurate portrayal of Harlem during that period. Both movies tell the story of Youngblood Priest, a coke dealer looking to make one last big score and then get out. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. The famous soundtrack by R&B and soul legend Curtis Mayfield, who had a cameo in the film with his band, actually outgrossed the film. He seems almost as influenced by Brian De Palmas Scarface (itself a remake) as by the original Super Fly. Witness the bright oranges and subsequent neon colors in the movies opening scene: a tracking shot of an underground nightclub, depicting Priest on a mission to collect money owed. suggesting a diversity update. Nearly every character in the film, with the notable exception of his "main squeeze," tries to dissuade Priest from quitting; their chief argument being that dealing and snorting are the best he ever could achieve in life. Adalberto threatens Priest, telling him that he can never get out of the game. "[7], Super Fly resonated with many of the post-Civil Rights Movement generation of African Americans, who saw Youngblood as a new example of how to rise in the American class system. It was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on 11 September 2018. Thats how hungry the audience was for a new screen mythology of African-American manhood. Now, if you don't get me my money *tonight*, I'm gonna put that young girl of your's out on whore's row. Born November 22, 1926 Died April 17, 1986 (59) Showcase yourself on IMDbPro What does it mean, and how is Super Fly an example of the genre? Although the timid Freddie abhors violence, he agrees and accompanies another member of Priest's "family" of lower-level dealers to commit the robbery. I am new in PyTorch and I have faced one issue, namely I cannot get my torch_sparse module properly installed. He died in 1986 of an overdose. The film was directed by Director X, written by Alex Tse and stars Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael K. Williams, Lex Scott Davis, and Jennifer Morrison. The soundtrack alone generated about $5 million in profits one of the first film soundtracks to earn such a sizable return primarily from the biggest singles "Super Fly" and "Freddie's Dead". They discover cocaine and find Eddie in Freddie's contacts. Hes a major drug supplier in bling-driven Atlanta. Priest thanks Eddie for his help and prepares to leave the country with Georgia. Theres a learning process. Times reviewer, Jay Cocks, irritated by the pictures stereotypes and lack of technical proficiency, declared: What makes a crummy little movie like Super Fly worth getting angry about is the implication behind it: that movies made for black audiences have to be, or can easily be, so casually and contemptuously awful. The HR critic, on the other hand, praised the film as one of remarkable power and a revelation, technically, that realistically captured the struggle confronting those ghetto denizens who refuse to accept the life to which they have been consigned. You'll all be hit if I die. Its a death-steeped drama, but no major character falls victim to gun violence. Understand the basics of the Matplotlib plotting package. Super Fly (1972 film) Quotes Charles McGregor as Fat Freddie (Charles McGregor) "Listen, give me one of them joints .