"You better take real good care of me. Nothing, nothing better happen to one hair on my gorgeous head. Can you dig it?" - Priest (Ron O'Neal)

1972’s Super Fly has always been eclipsed by its own soundtrack, which is both a testament to the Curtis Mayfield-composed songs and the lack of impact made by Gordon Parks Jr. in the director’s chair. Yet there is a lot brewing beneath the surface of Super Fly and it really is a film worth a look for its style and the points it tries to make without squeezing too hard.

Ron O’Neal stars as Priest, a drug dealer hoping to leave “the life” behind after making one last huge score. Priest is tough but sensitive, exposing his heart to two women at once and longing for a normal life without really figuring out all of the details. He double-parks and isn’t afraid to beat a sucker down with a few slaps, yet there is gentleness in his eyes. Priest’s partner is Eddie (Carl Lee). A small empire of about fifty people comprises the “family” of drug dealers and pushers that Priest and Eddie rely on to keep them rolling in nice cars and wearing fine coats.

When Priest decides he wants to leave life as a dealer and find some normalcy, Eddie goes along with it based on the size of the last score (a cool one million bucks). The idea is to buy a shitload of coke and have their street team move the stuff in four months, thus turning over one hell of a profit and allowing Priest and Eddie to set sail for the straight life without looking back. There are a few problems, however, as the shady cops want in and Eddie might have a few hang-ups of his own.

The essence of Super Fly is the philosophy of “sticking it to The Man.” The Man here is represented by establishment suckers and crooked cops. Priest and Eddie lead the lives they live not only because there is little else for young black men to do but because they refuse to play ball with the largely white institution figures that have been holding their communities down for so long. Without growth in the black communities, drug dealers and pimps are purely a part of daily life.