VIII - The Rise of Blaxploitation

It's the 70s, and we're finally starting to see some new faces in our noir-inflected pictures. For today's episode that means Shaft and Mr. T, a pair of early Blaxploitation heroes who help reframe noir, centering the narrative on a community that had been rendered invisible throughout classic Hollywood. And as 1971's Shaft and 1972's Trouble Man show, just because you're taking on the man doesn't mean you can't do it with a great soundtrack and a great sense of style.

Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about?