Friday Foster (1975)

Director: Arthur Marks
Starring: Pam Grier, Yaphet Kotto, Godfrey Cambridge

Synopsis:
A photographer becomes a target when she witnesses an assassination attempt on the richest black man in the country.

Impressions:
Given how much Foxy Brown resembles Coffy (being a hastily rewritten sequel and all), I was expecting Friday Foster to be much the same, but it's actually a rather different film and I'd argue that it doesn't even qualify as blaxploitation as there doesn't really feel like there's any exploitative quality to it. Unlike Coffy or Foxy Brown, Friday Foster as a character isn't an action girl and isn't on a roaring rampage of revenge. Being a rather different character does a good job of showing some of Grier's range. There are a lot of notable black actors in the cast, such as Yaphet Kotto as the PI Colt Hawkins, Carl Weathers as the assassin Yarbro, Eartha Kitt as the fashion designer Madame Rena, Thalamus Rasulala as the millionaire Blake Tarr, and Scatman Carothers as the lecherous pastor Noble Franklin. Fans of the Wing Commander series will also recognize Jason Bernard (Captain Eisen) as Senator Hart's aide Charles Foley. If you're looking for a conspiracy thriller from the intrepid reporter (technically a photographer) angle, give this one a shot.

Rating:
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