SUPERFLY (2018) ****

1972’s Superfly was one of the seminal films of the Blaxploitation genre.  Outside of an electrifying performance by Ron O’Neal as Priest, it was sort of ordinary.  The 2018 remake, directed by Director X and starring Trevor Jackson as Priest, is a revelation.  Not only is it the best remake in some time, it’s the best movie of the year. 

Director X and his talented crew takes the basic structure of the original and gives it a whole new coat of paint.  X modernizes the film, of course, but he also lets you swim around in the world Priest inhabits.  He shows us the allure of fast money, fast cars, and beautiful women, sure.  He also gives us enough glimpses of the dark side of a drug empire that when Priest makes his play to get out of the life, we are with him 100%.

I cannot praise Jackson’s performance enough.  I had never heard of him until I walked into the theater.  He is one cool customer.  He plays Priest as a suave, yet calculated kingpin.  While he enjoys the lifestyle his drug trade affords him, unlike the competition, he has his eye on the long game, and is all too eager to leave the life if and when the opportunity arises.  Jackson takes command of the movie right from the very first scene.  Even when he is outnumbered and outgunned, his quiet authority, quick wits, and charisma extradites him out of the situation.  He does this a couple times throughout the film.  It’s refreshing to see a character in an action flick using his brains to get him out of hairy predicaments instead of guns. 

Director X’s style is impressive.  It’s slick without calling attention to itself, much like the hero himself.  I also found it admirable how he was able to tap into the frustrations of today’s African-American society while simultaneously providing them an outlet for their frustrations.  I’m thinking specifically of the car chase (which is filmed in high-def a la Michael Mann) through a park containing Confederate landmarks.  X’s talents are really on display during the montage (set to the original film’s “Pusherman” by Curtis Mayfield) where Priest sells his product.  It ranks right up there with any given montage in a Scorsese movie. 

The best of the 70’s Blaxploitation films featured memorable and flamboyant characters who had a gaudy fashion sense.  This Superfly is no different.  Priest’s rivals, “Snow Patrol” are something else.  Dressed in all-white winter parkas (even in the sweltering Atlanta heat), they look like Biggie Smalls leading an arctic G.I. Joe hit team.  I hope they get their own spin-off movie.

I also liked the fact that Priest had two girlfriends.  The most impressive thing was that they all lived under the same roof.  Most guys would have to keep one on the side, but Priest is so charismatic that it is easy to see why they’d be willing to share him.  I especially loved the scene where the women were yelling at each other.  When Priest tells them to shut up, they immediately drop their feud and begin yelling at him.  It’s pretty funny, yet at the same time, it also feels very real.  (The trio also get a steamy three-way sex scene in a shower that would even make Jim Wynorksi proud.)

Superfly has a lot of moving parts.  It is populated with many supporting characters, all of whom have their own goals (they mostly want a piece of Priest’s action).  The most memorable is Jennifer Morrison (doing a mean Jennifer Jason Leigh impersonation) as a dirty cop who blackmails Priest.  Director X and screenwriter Alex (Watchmen) Tse are able to connect all the various plot threads and characters together in a fluid fashion that doesn’t come at the expense of the hero and his quest.  Sure, at its heart, Superfly is another one of those One Last Score movies, but Priest’s attempt to get out of the game while still on top feels much more organic than most cliched attempts at the subgenre. 

You know how everyone from rappers to college students to movie lovers have Scarface posters on their wall?  I hope that in fifteen years or so the same will be said for the Superfly remake.  

I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but it ends with Priest saying, “I left America, but I took the dream with me.”  It’s a powerful statement from a powerful movie. 

It’s Jason Mitchell (who plays Priest’s best friend and right-hand man Eddie) who gets the best line of the movie.  As the pair make their way across the Mexican border, Mitchell protests and says, "I'm not going nowhere where the j's are silent!"