[yasr_overall_rating]
A Chicago private detective returns back home to Louisville, Kentucky, to help her father fight mobsters.
“Sheba, Baby” had me learn a new word that I hadn’t even heard of (I honestly don’t know if it is an actual word) and that word is Blaxploitation. For those who don’t know, it’s exactly what it sounds like, a sub-genre of exploitation movies involving African Americans.
The plot of the film is simple, Pam Grier plays a detective, Sheba Shayne, who goes back home to Kentucky in order to help her father, who is being roughed up by some nasty individuals. It gets the best of him as he is found dead and Sheba goes on the warpath (I never thought I would utter that sentence…ever). She is literally a one-woman army against a group of men and is sexualized and exploited throughout the whole film. That isn’t to say that this movie was intense, because it was all but that and after some research, I found that it was actually one of Grier’s tamer films (She doesn’t get to be nude in this one).
“Sheba, Baby” looks like a bad TV episode of a hip detective solving crimes more than it does a big screen effort. Film has evolved, I get it but you can’t use that excuse for the long haul. There were plenty of films which had a production date in this era that were hands down, golden. “Sheba, Baby” misses the mark entirely and deserves little-to-no attention. I guess if you like Grier this would be worth a glance but if you are looking for quality, go somewhere else. I learned a new word just for this movie and if that word is ever attached to another film that hits my inbox, it won’t be worth my time. Thanks “Sheba, Baby.”
Available now on Blu-ray & DVD
