History Film / SuperFly

Ron O'Neal stars as Priest, an up-and-coming successful cocaine dealer in [[BigApplesauce New York City]]. After getting mugged by two junkies, he realizes that his profession will eventually only end in death or prison, so he decides it's time to call it quits. In order to raise money to start a fresh, crime-free life, however, he needs to perform OneLastJob by making a 30 kilo deal. Too bad that almost every person he interacts with (save two obligatorily antagonistic white cops) seems to make it their mission in life to keep him in the business...

The film was [[TheRemake remade]] in 2018, with Creator/TrevorJackson (''Series/GrownIsh'') taking over the lead role, and directed by Julien Christian Lutz (a.k.a. Director X).

* ButNotTooBlack: O'Neal is quite fair-skinned; at one point a character in the film calls Priest "white-looking". [[BerserkButton He responds by punching him.]]

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Youngblood Priest.

* ActionSurvivor: Georgia.

* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler:Gonzales's mother to her own son]].

* NiceHat: Priest loves his fedoras.

* TheMan: Eddie's take on why they're drug dealers. "I know it's a rotten game. It's the only one The Man left us to play."

* AdultFear: During the final car chase, Georgia points out that there are children in the park Priest is driving through, and he has to swerve to avoid hitting a child in a stroller directly in his path.

This film is known for [[Music/SuperFly its soundtrack]], written and produced by soul singer Music/CurtisMayfield. ''Super Fly'' is one of the few films ever to have been out-grossed by its soundtrack. Ironically, in later years, Mayfield came to hate the film, calling it "a TV commercial for cocaine."

This film is known for its soundtrack, written and produced by soul singer Music/CurtisMayfield. ''Superfly'' is one of the few films ever to have been out-grossed by its soundtrack. Ironically, in later years, Mayfield came to hate the film, calling it "a TV commercial for cocaine."

This film is known for its {{Music/Superfly soundtrack}}, written and produced by soul singer Music/CurtisMayfield. ''Superfly'' is one of the few films ever to have been out-grossed by its soundtrack. Ironically, in later years, Mayfield came to hate the film, calling it "a TV commercial for cocaine."

This film is known for its soundtrack, written and produced by soul singer Music/CurtisMayfield. ''Superfly'' is one of the few films ever to have been out-grossed by its soundtrack. Ironically, in later years, Mayfield came to hate the film, calling it "a TV commercial for cocaine."

The film was [[TheRemake remade]] in 2018, with Trevor Jackson (''Series/GrownIsh'') taking over the lead role, and directed by Julien Christian Lutz (a.k.a. Director X).

The film was [[TheRemake remade]] in 2018, with Trevor Jackson (''Series/{{Grownish}}'') taking over the lead role, and directed by Julien Christian Lutz (a.k.a. Director X).

Some critics believe the film's glorification of drug dealers serves to subtly critique the civil rights movement's failure to provide better economic opportunities for black America and that the portrayal of a black community controlled by drug dealers serves to highlight that the initiatives of the civil rights movement were far from fully accomplished.[[note]]Indeed, one protest when the film was first released was organized by civil-rights activist and future UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC Mayor Marion Barry, who ironically would [[NeverLiveItDown himself be arrested years later in a 1990 cocaine sting]][[/note]]