Tribeca Review: Pam Grier and Blaxploitation Are Back With 'Cinnamon'

By Sara Clements | Film | June 26, 2023 |

By Sara Clements | Film | June 26, 2023 |

Even though Blaxploitation has made an appearance off and on since its heyday (see Jackie Brown or The Harder They Fall), it’s a moment to celebrate when Pam Grier, one of the genre’s most iconic stars, is back at it. If you’re unaware of Blaxploitation, it refers to a wave of independent films in the early 1970s that were made by Black filmmakers for Black audiences. Many iconic works were produced during this time, like Shaft, Super Fly, Ganja & Hess, and Foxy Brown. In his directorial debut, Cinnamon, Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr. brings fresh life to the genre through a modern lens.

Jodi (Hailey Kilgore) is just like us: Looking at the clock until her shift is over. She’s wasting away working at a gas station while her dreams of LA superstardom seem to be further and further out of reach. She’s running out of patience and hope, but then Eddie (David Iacono) comes along. He’s a charmer who fuels her ambition to be a singer and actress and inspires her to chase her dreams. He becomes a way out for Jodi. See, he’s a crook. A pickpocket, a car thief. You name it and he’ll steal it. His sleight of hand has made him plenty of connections, including a friend with a recording studio. With Eddie’s help, Jodi gets her first track on the radio under her stage name, Cinnamon. Romance blossoms, but Jodi still has her mind set on Hollywoodland. The pair plan their escape together, embracing a Bonnie and Clyde lifestyle. This leads to a whole mess of problems, and they fall into the jaws of even more crooked crooks. You don’t know if they’ll make it out alive or die in a car sprayed with bullets, like another epic crime romance.

Cinnamon is full of ’70s flavor in style and funky beats, employing the subjects of crime, sex, and drugs that were common for Blaxploitation movies. With its Southern setting, it brings a neo-Western flair to the story, too. What really sells the film is the cast. The chemistry between Kilgore and Iacono sizzles. He’s so charismatic, while her big voice soars. They truly work the Bonnie and Clyde monicker and become a couple to route for, despite their misdeeds. Adding to this talented troupe is Damon Wayans as Wally, Jodi’s boss. As well as being co-owner of the gas station, he runs a car lot. Eccentric and suave with wealth, Wayans has a natural ability to turn every line into comedy, which elevates the entertainment factor. His character is also no saint either, with his partner, James (Jeremie Harris), getting increasingly suspicious that Wally is stealing from their gas station. Harris is a smoldering cowboy with a hot trigger finger and is able to distinguish himself in the presence of Pam Grier as his mother. As the matriarch, Grier is quite terrifying. Her character is deaf and rarely speaks, making Grier’s performance powerful in its silence, especially when every gesture determines the fate of all characters. Even though she spends most of the film sitting down, the icon can seem taller than anyone.

Despite its subject matter, Cinnamon is a film with a surprising amount of emotion and heart. Its runtime is a detriment to it, though, as it feels a little too short to fully develop the characters and their relationships. But it delivers moments of tension and action, taking us back to the ’70s cinematic landscape. It’s a superfly experience, reminiscent of the ones of old.

Cinnamon premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now available on Tubi.