Friday Foster

Cat Ellington

I wish I could give this timeless Arthur Marks-directed masterwork TEN stars! That is just how much I LOVE it. Friday Foster is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I could never wax weary of it. I love this movie so very much, as do I its beautiful star protagonist, Pam Grier ... An inimitable motion picture luminary in her own right. Opening to a groovy soundtrack, "Friday Foster", the film, pays homage to the namesake of its lead character, Friday Foster, a stunning former model turned magazine photographer played by Grier, who finds herself entangled in a web of murder-for-hire involving America's wealthiest black man, the fictive Blake Tarr, who is respectively portrayed by another 70s film/TV legend, Thalamus Rasulala. It is inside of an airplane hangar where a hired killer attempts (but fails) to assassinate the billionaire Tarr, forcing Friday, unbeknownst to the would-be killer, to seek safety in a shielded area. The stubborn and rebellious Friday is not only shaken up, but an eyewitness to the goings on: For she eventually sees the assassin's face, as does he hers. And just that quick, Friday gets her name added to the murder hit list. Why? Well, because Friday, while snapping pics of the chaos, also captured a still image of the would-be killer's face. From there folks, the fun-filled action and suspense builds ... And builds ... And builds... As the plot uniquely unfolds in this fast-paced, and well-shot action thriller, the Yves Saint Laurent silk scarf-wearing, Louis Vuitton Speedy bag-carrying Friday decides to take it upon herself to "play detective" - much to this head-graying and frustrated dismay of her boss - in order to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the foiled assassination attempt on Blake Tarr's life, and also to prevent the hit-in-waiting on her own. Enter private eye, Colt Hawkins - played by the irresistible Yaphet Kotto - who teams up with Friday (at Friday's request) to capture not only the would-be killer, but also those higher ups who executed the contract on Tarr's head in the first place. . . Friday Foster, the film, takes its watchers on one helluva dangerous and exciting thrill ride - from the throes of Los Angeles to the political power seats of Washington, DC - leaving a trail of dead bodies in its wake ... Including that one of Friday's best friend, Cloris. Rounding out the all-star cast in this hilarious, though undeniably suspenseful cinematic work of art are: Carl Weathers, Godfrey Cambridge, Eartha Mitt, Jason Bernard, Ted Lange, Rosalind Miles, and Julius Harris, just to name a few. A well-aged tale of money, power, ruthlessness, deception and murder, Friday Foster is a cult classic in motion picture history. Its dramatic suspense never lets up until the end credits begin to scroll. Great movie! Five out of five HUGE stars!