Coffy

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, Coffy is available in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and YOW.tv right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 308 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch Pam Grier work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Available now on Amazon Prime Video — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Coffy earns its spot. At its heart, Coffy understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. After her younger sister gets involved in drugs and is severely injured by contaminated heroin, a nurse sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path. Pam Grier and Robert DoQui lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1973. Coffy is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find Coffy proves them wrong. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Pam Grier carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.