Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- gritty
- salacious
- confrontational
- cult movie night
- 1970s cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film's gritty, combustible exploitation energy and Pam Grier's groundbreaking presence, while remaining divided over the performances and pulpy execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Coffy foregrounds a Black female avenger who attacks drug dealers and corrupt institutions within 1970s blaxploitation cinema.
Coffy personally hunts the pushers responsible for her younger sister's drug addiction rather than relying on the justice system.
Coffy works as a nurse by day and operates as an avenging vigilante at night, while the police detective also conceals another identity.
The film combines provocative costumes and undercover seduction with drug violence, criminal exploitation, and harsh revenge sequences.
Films like Coffy, and why
Foxy Brown
shared blaxploitation setting, vigilante justice, urban crime, and charismatic Black protagonist
Shaft
shared 1970s urban action, crime-fighting antiheroes, funk-inflected style, and systemic corruption
Super Fly
shared gritty blaxploitation energy, drug-trafficking plot, stylish action, and confrontational social themes
Ms. 45
shared female-led revenge narrative, exploitation aesthetics, and forceful antiheroine
Movie Details
- Director
- Jack Hill
- Release Date
- 1973-06-13
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (320)
Cast
- Pam Grier
- Robert DoQui
- Sid Haig
- Booker Bradshaw
- William Elliott
- Allan Arbus
- Linda Haynes
- Barry Cahill
- Lee de Broux
- Ruben Moreno
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Coffy about?
- A determined nurse becomes a stylish vigilante, dismantling the drug network that destroyed her family while exposing the corruption around it.
- What is Coffy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Coffy as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Coffy violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Coffy as graphic.
- What did critics think of Coffy?
- Critics broadly recognize the film's gritty, combustible exploitation energy and Pam Grier's groundbreaking presence, while remaining divided over the performances and pulpy execution.
- Which films are like Coffy?
- Films with a similar feel include Foxy Brown, Shaft, Super Fly, and Ms. 45.
- How long is Coffy?
- Coffy runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Coffy?
- In United States, Coffy streams on Philo.
