Cleopatra Jones

Cleopatra Jones
Original film poster.
Directed by	Jack Starrett
Produced by	William "Bill" Tennant Max Julien
Written by	Max Julien Sheldon Keller
Starring	Tamara Dobson Bernie Casey Shelley Winters Antonio Fargas
Music by	J. J. Johnson
Cinematography	David M. Walsh
Edited by	Allan Jacobs
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	July 13, 1973
Running time	89 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$3,250,000 (US/ Canada rentals)

Cleopatra Jones is a 1973 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Tamara Dobson, Bernie Casey, Shelley Winters and Antonio Fargas.

Cleopatra "Cleo" Jones (Dobson) is an undercover special agent for the United States Government. Overseas modeling is only a cover for her real job. Cleo is a Bond-like heroine with power and influence, her silver and black `73 Corvette Stingray (equipped with automatic weapons), and her martial arts ability. While she evokes the glory of a funk goddess, she remains loyal to her drug-ravaged community and her lover, Reuben Masters (Bernie Casey), who runs B&S House (a community home for recovering drug addicts).

The film opens with Cleo overseeing the destruction of a poppy field in Turkey belonging to the evil drug lord, Mommy (Shelley Winters). Mommy employs an all-male crew and a bevy of beautiful young women catering to her many wants. When she hears about her poppies' demise, she plots revenge, ordering a corrupt policeman to raid the B&S House.

When Cleo returns to LA to arrest the police responsible for the raid, she continues to take apart Mommy’s underworld drug business, thwarting her minions along the way. Cleo and Mommy face off in a showdown, in which she is trapped by Mommy in a car crusher but is saved by her friends from the B&S House. In the final showdown, Cleo chases Mommy to the top of a magnetic crane where the two women fight. Mommy proves to be no match for Cleo, who hurls Mommy over the side of the crane to her death, while Cleo's friends defeat her henchmen. At the end of the film, as Reuben and the members of the community celebrate victory, Cleo departs the scene. She sets off to complete her mission of stemming the tide of drugs that flow into her community.

Cleopatra Jones was made by Warner Brothers following the success of the Shaft series and AIP’s films. It opened at a time when the Black Power Movement, Black Arts Movement, second-wave feminism, and an increasingly growing black feminism were all prevalent. From this social context emerged the desire for a black heroine who appealed to women through a combination of alluring femininity, female strength, and combat skill. The film depicts the harsh reality of the black ghetto, but also portrays a united community whose members help and support one another. The film's final scene, where Jones, Reuben, and the other B&S members join together to defeat Mommy, reflects the Black Arts Movement's emphasis upon the need for the black community to work together to defeat white supremacy.