-Grindhouse Fest is the special section in Celluloid Dimension where you can discover all the goodies…and baddies from the golden age of exploitation cinema. Have fun!
Directed by William Girdler
Written by William Gridler and David Sheldon
Starring:
- Pam Grier as Sheba Shayne
- Austin Stoker as Brick Williams
- D’Urville Martin as Pilot
- Rudy Challenger as Andy Shayne
- Dick Merrifield as Shark Merrill
Rating: 
“She’s a dangerous lady!” Pam Grier plays a foxy private investigator tracking down the mobsters who are threatening her father with a takeover of his humble insurance company business. Flaunting her trademark badassery, the queen of Blaxploitation fare steps into the rough-and-tumble crime scene of this shallow but groovy low-fi neo-noir routine directed by exploitation maven William Girdler. It’s the stuff genre moviemaking dreams are made of, sleazy types, nonsensical storytelling, pulpy thrills, stylized violence and Pam Grier at the pinnacle of her exploitation stardom. This ain’t Coffy, but it’s the coolest take on Pam Grier’s persona; at its classiest and hippest. Grier saves this film from being just another run-of-the-mill actioner, but there’s also some merit in the aggressive coolness of Girdler’s straightforward writing, which gives Grier not only countless occasions to show off for the camera while the hottest jams roll, but also provides her with the most exhilarating, bracing character introduction she’s ever had. The whole movie is mostly Pam Grier beating the hell out of a bunch of devious mafiosos. Chases, shootouts and female bravado at its finest. You may not think much of this, but Sheba, Baby is the first film in which Pam Grier is not just about attitude, over-the-top acting and flashy bosoms, it’s more about photogenic presence, infectious vibes and womanly heroics. A slightly simple-minded audiovisual gimmick, but if watching Pam Grier in perpetual musicality kicking ass isn’t synonymous with foolproof entertainment, then I’m just nuts. Packed with sassy dialogue and buzzing street violence, it’s Blaxploitation writ large, but a really good one.
