What I love about these films is not only the fact that most of them take place in a 1970’s NYC, but the jive-talking, gun-toting, leather-wearing, cocaine-addicted pimps which always keep things interesting, not to mention the outrageous outfits, cars, women, etc. All of these films carry this inner-city, nitty-gritty kind of vibe that can be cheesy at times, but the one thing Blaxploitation films are most known for are the great soundtracks. Most of them being produced by major recording artists such as Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack, Marvin Gaye and many other soul greats from that time. How can you go wrong with pimps smacking up bitches, chasing stick-up kids throughout the streets of NYC in Cadillac Eldorado’s then climbing fire escapes in 1,000 dollar suits whilst not getting one bit dirty? Classic!
So below I present you my 10 favorite films of the Blaxploitation genre starting with my personal favorite, ‘Across 100th Street’.
