Coffy is a 1973 Blaxploitation film written and directed by American filmmaker Jack Hill. The story is about a black female vigilante played by Pam Grier. Coffy is notable in its depiction of a strong female lead (a capable nurse), something rare in the genre at the time, and also in its then-unfashionable anti-drug message. It was remade with an all-white cast as Lovely But Deadly (1981). The film is a favourite of Quentin Tarantino, and he ranks it high among his top 20 best films. He later hired Grier for Jackie Brown in 1997, a film with clear inspiration from films like Coffy and Foxy Brown. Tarantino said of the film poster: “Not only is it a great image of Pam Grier, it’s got great type, it’s the epitome of a great exploitation poster…and every version of it in foreign countries rocked”. The film’s tagline in advertising was “They call her ‘Coffy’ and she’ll cream you!” By 1976 Variety estimated the film had earned $4 million in rentals.
