NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray (May 2024): Umbrella Entertainment have transferred Jack Hill's Coffy to Blu-ray. We compared the Arrow and Olive Blu-rays from 2015, HERE - and a few captures below. It is essentially the same image quality as the older, now OOP (out-of-print) Blu-rays - 1080P, a few speckles, strong contrast and healthy color balance. Textures are thick and never appear overly noisy, there is depth and solid detail in close-ups. No complaints with the HD presentation.

NOTE: We have added 43 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Umbrella Entertainment use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original English language. Coffy has plenty of aggression from fearless use of guns to beatings (into a coma) as well as an amusing cat-fight, party, conflict. There is appealing depth - also present in the score by Roy Ayers (tracks compositions used in Summer of Sam, Jackie Brown etc.) including Coffy Baby and Coffy Is The Color sung by Dee Dee Bridgewater. All good in the lossless transfer. Umbrella Entertainment offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray include the audio commentary by writer-director Jack Hill that was on previous Arrow Blu-ray and older DVD editions. He acknowledges the cult-status of the film, shares opinions why, production details and more. He's okay and seemed fairly comfortable. A Taste of Coffy is also on the past Arrow Blu-ray - a 19-minute, interview with Jack Hill (discussing how he became involved in the project etc.) and the 18-minute The Baddest Chick in Town! - interview with Pam Grier on Coffy and its follow up, Foxy Brown. She shares details on Corman, Hill, violence and sex in cinema etc. How do we not love her? A new supplement to a Blu-ray release of Coffy is Baadasssss Cinema; Isaac Julien's 2002 hour-long documentary uses film clips and interviews to illustrate the history of the "blaxploitation" genre with brief segments with Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Melvin Van Peebles, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L. Jackson and others. There is also a new 1/4 hour 'Pam Grier' trailer compilation including Black Mama White Mama, Women in Cages, The Big Doll House, Foxy Brown among others. Umbrella are also selling a 'Limited Edition', numbered release, HERE with a 48 page book with behind-the-scenes, experiences and art, plus 8 replica lobby cards and an A3 reversible poster. It's the 'ultimate' for physical media devotees of the film.  

Jack Hill's Coffy was a year before Charles Bronson's landmark Death Wish - sharing themes of a vigilante spurred to vengeful action by tragic familial exposure to crime. Jack Hill (Switchblade Sisters) caved out a unique niche of films supporting feminist leanings - strong women with Coffy's Grier enhancing her status as the leading "femme fatale" of blaxploitation for the remainder of the 1970s and beyond. Coffy's world is harsh - children, heroine addiction and beatings of her as well as her cop lover into a coma etc. Exploiting her abundant sexuality and fearlessness leads to the film's pun tagline: "Coffy...she'll cream you". Indeed. The Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray has it all with the solid a/v, feature length documentary, valuable director commentary and Pam Grier interview. It may not be worth the double-dip but, regardless, this is the best physical media package of the iconic film. Certainly recommended.

Gary Tooze