[4] Foxy Brown is happy to see her lover return from hiding, having thought him dead (which resulted in him having to go under the new identity of Michael Anderson).
She links her boyfriend's murderers to a "modeling agency" run by Stevie Elias and Katherine Wall that services local judges, congressmen, and police in the area.
Foxy decides to pose as a prostitute to infiltrate the company and helps save a fellow black woman from a life of drugs and sexual exploitation, and reunites her with her husband and child.
After an exchange of words and heated death threats, Katherine decides to keep her alive in hopes of her being worth some money in the sex-slave trade.
In a time when African Americans were making progress politically, socially and economically, Foxy Brown's heroine contradicted the image they were creating for themselves in society.
Nelson George states that Pam Grier has been embraced by many feminists for her roles that not only display her beauty, but also her fearlessness and ability to exact retribution on men who challenge her.
Foxy wants revenge for her late boyfriend, Michael, and she also wants to shut down the drug and prostitute operation so they can no longer harm her community.
Director Jack Hill made an obvious reference to Angela Davis, the American activist, when she was talking to Black Caesar, and she demands they get justice for "all of the people.
In both films, the women risk their lives carrying out vigilante missions to make the streets a better place, but also, and more importantly, to avenge their family.
"[5] According to director Jack Hill, due to tension between American International Pictures (AIP) and him, he was not invited to direct the sequel for Coffy until last minute.
On the audio commentary on the film's DVD release, Hill mentions that he was against the outfits that the wardrobe department chose for Foxy Brown.
Since Pam Grier had become a star in Coffy, an impetus existed to present the actress as even more stylish than she had appeared in the previous film.
The 14 costumes were designed by a California couturier named Ruthie West, who was also the stylist for the Jackson 5, Thelma Houston, Bobbie Gentry, the Curtis Brothers, and Sisters Love, among others.
[1] A. H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote that Grier was "in a rut" and "fast becoming a bore despite all the sex, brawls and gore in 'Foxy Brown'".
Hill's screenplay has peculiar narrative gaps that are not concealed by heaps of 'right on, brother' dialog, while his direction is frenzied without being exciting."
'Foxy Brown' is selling Pam Grier's body just like it was sold a couple years ago in a half-dozen Philippine women-in-prison pictures.
"[12] Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times stated, "For the most part, 'Foxy Brown' is just another movie about vengeance, vigilantes, dope, call girls and violence — interspersed with sex, vulgarity and hatred.
[21][22] Foxy Brown is considered to be one of the most influential blaxploitation films,[23] with Pam Grier's character seen as the female archetype of the genre.
[29] In December 2016, a television series based on the film was reported as being developed by streaming service Hulu, with DeVon Franklin and Tony Krantz executive producing, and Meagan Good starring as Foxy Brown.