Top 10 Blaxploitation Movies You Need to See

If one film made blaxploitation mainstream, it's Shaft. Richard Roundtree plays John Shaft, a tough private detective in Harlem who is cool, charming and always in control as he takes on corrupt cops and gangsters. With its iconic Isaac Hayes soundtrack, great one-liners and vivid portrait of New York, it became a cultural phenomenon with several sequels and remakes.

Shaft was cool, but Priest in Super Fly is next-level cool. The film follows a cocaine dealer who wants out of the drug trade but finds his own success keeping him trapped. With extravagant fashion, fast cars and Curtis Mayfield's iconic soundtrack, it's a stylish, unflinching look at the '70s crime world.

With Coffy, Pam Grier became the queen of blaxploitation, and rightly so. She plays a nurse who becomes a relentless avenging angel at night, hunting the dealers and corrupt cops who got her sister addicted. Sexy, strong and fierce, with hard-hitting action, it's a must-watch for every cult film fan.

After Coffy, Pam Grier became the ultimate blaxploitation heroine, and in Foxy Brown she went a step further. When her boyfriend is murdered by a crime ring, she infiltrates their organization to take merciless revenge. From explosive fights to epic one-liners, it's blaxploitation at its best.

What if The Godfather were a blaxploitation film? You'd get Black Caesar. Fred Williamson plays Tommy Gibbs, a young criminal who rises to the top of the Harlem underworld, only to find enemies coming from every direction. With an epic James Brown soundtrack, hard action and political undertones, it's one of the best gangster films of the era.

Rudy Ray Moore is the king of low-budget blaxploitation, and Dolemite is his ultimate masterpiece. Moore plays a pimp and ex-convict out for revenge on the corrupt cops and criminals who framed him. Full of ridiculous fight scenes, cheesy dialogue and over-the-top action, it's brilliant cult material. Netflix's Dolemite Is My Name with Eddie Murphy tells the wild story behind its production.

This low-budget, radical film by Melvin Van Peebles is often considered the first true blaxploitation film. It follows Sweetback, a Black man on the run from the police after attacking two corrupt officers, and the whole production breathes revolution and rebellion. Shaft made blaxploitation popular, but Sweet Sweetback was the film that woke Hollywood up.

Not all blaxploitation films were about action and crime; Ganja & Hess brought the genre into horror. In this unique, atmospheric film, an anthropologist becomes infected with a vampiric curse and embarks on a bloodthirsty, spiritual journey. With dreamy cinematography and a hypnotic atmosphere, it's one of the most artistic films of the genre.

If you liked Super Fly, you need to see The Mack. Goldie, an ex-convict, rises through the underworld as a flamboyant, charismatic pimp while battling corrupt cops and rival gangs. With sharp dialogue, iconic style and deep social commentary, it became one of the most influential blaxploitation films ever.

This film combines blaxploitation with supernatural horror and is pulp at its best. A young law student becomes possessed by the spirit of a 1940s gangster who wants revenge on the people who killed him. A unique cult classic mixing horror, thriller and blaxploitation style.