Cleopatra Jones (1973)

Tamara Dobson brings skintight outfits and jive-talkin’ style to the role of badass female detective Cleopatra Jones (1973) in Jack Starrett’s blaxploitation classic. Dobson’s iconic character is an afro-coiffed cop who’s dispatched to rid the ghetto of vice crime. She’s so successful at her gig that federal agents send her on a globetrotting mission to stamp out drug production at its source. With this ultra-stylish 1973 performance, Dobson joined the ranks of blaxploitation luminaries such as Pam Grier and Fred Williamson--fine company indeed. She does it all without shedding her threads, but she looks so fine in her chic apparel that you’ll find you hardly mind.