Although the timid Freddie abhors violence, he agrees and accompanies another member of Priest's "family" of lower-level dealers to commit the robbery.

Priest discusses his plan to buy thirty kilos of high-quality cocaine with the $300,000 he and his partner Eddie have, which they can sell for $1,000,000 within four months.

Eddie is elated by the new situation, claiming that they are set for life, although Priest is still determined to quit after selling the thirty kilos.

Their argument is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Scatter who reveals that the real head of the operation is Deputy Commissioner Reardon, who is trying to kill him for quitting.

Both enraged and scared, Priest gives the information on Reardon and an envelope of cash to two mafia men and takes out a $100,000 contract on "the Man's" life.

Priest has anticipated Eddie's duplicity, however, and gives the briefcase carrying the money to a disguised Georgia in exchange for one full of rags.

The powerless Reardon then watches as Priest walks away free, giving the policemen one final glare before driving off to join Georgia.

The Harlem community backed Super Fly financially, and a number of black businesses helped with the production costs.

[11][12] At the timeSuperfly was released, there were many African-Americans displeased with the images of black culture portrayed in films such as Super Fly, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song, and Shaft.

"[13] The Congress for Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other organizations attempted to block the film's distribution, and pushed for more African-American involvement in Hollywood's creative process.

However, nearly every character in the film, with the notable exception of his "main squeeze," tries to dissuade Priest from quitting, with their chief argument being that dealing and drug use are the best he ever could achieve in life.

[15] Film scholar Manthiahas Diawara suggested the film's glorification of drug dealers served to subtly critique the civil rights movement's failure to provide better economic opportunities for black America, and that the portrayal of a black community controlled by drug dealers serves to highlight that the initiatives of the civil rights movement were far from fully accomplished.

[16] A standard definition DVD was released by Warner Brothers on January 14, 2004—the day its star, Ron O'Neal, died after battling cancer.

On the original release and videocassette, the film end credits roll with a shot of the top of the Empire State Building and the title track ("Superfly") plays.

In the DVD release, Warner Bros. decided to fade out the track midway right as "The End" is shown, and again brings up the AOL/Warner logo.

In June 2018, The Warner Archive Collection released "Super Fly" on Blu-ray, and has received mostly praise for its video & audio restoration.