Truck Turner Rating: Release Date: 13 November, 2001 Retail Price: $14.98 OUR Price: $12.99 You SAVE: $1.99! Cast: Yaphet Kotto Isaac Hayes Dick Miller Jonathan Tucker Complete Cast (8 total)

Truck Turner Reviews

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Hide your Mamas, big brother is coming and he's coming on strong!
Isaac Hayes made his mark by winning an Academy Award for best original song for his work on the 1971 film Shaft, and while his musical compositions for the film Truck Turner (1974) may not have been as successful, it did mark the first time Hayes appeared in a starring role, appearing in one of the better films to come out of the `blaxploitation' era of the 70s, in my opinion. Co-written by Michael Allin (Enter the Dragon), Jerry Wilkes, and Oscar Williams (The Final Comedown, Black Belt Jones), and directed by Jonathan Kaplan (Night Call Nurses, The Accused, "ER"), the film stars Isaac Hayes (Escape from New York, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka), Yaphet Kotto (Live and Let Die, Alien, Midnight Run), and Nichelle Nichols, whom most probably know best from her role on the original Star Trek television series and subsequent films as Lieutenant Uhura, the sexiest communications officer this side of the Crab Nebula...also appearing is Alan Weeks (Black Belt Jones), Annazette Chase (The Mack), Sam Laws (Cool Breeze, Walking Tall), and Paul Harris (Across 110th Street). Appearing in cameo roles are Charles Cyphers (Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York), the legendary Scatman Crothers (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, Bronco Billy), veteran character actor and AIP perennial Dick Miller (The Wild Angels, Piranha, Gremlins), and the late Matthew Beard, best known as that bowler hat wearing lil' rascal Stymie, from the Hal Roach `Our Gang' shorts of the 30s.

Hayes plays Truck Turner who, along with his partner Jerry (Weeks), make their living as bounty hunters, that is, they run down jive turkeys who jump bail, decided not to participate in the subsequent legal process due to the fact they're probably guilty as sin, and conviction, along with jail time, are imminent. The two are very good at what they do, so much so they often get the jobs no one else wants. One in particular, arises involving a nasty pimp named Gator (Harris). Seems Gator's a two-time loser, and a third conviction would send him up for a long time, so apprehension will be extremely difficult (I think his crime has something to do his painting a Lincoln Continental, with suicide doors, hot pink...egads!). Gator gets jiggy, and Truck and Jerry have to take him down hard, much to the dismay of Gator's woman Dorinda (Nichols), who offers a piece of the action of her stable of extra fine call girls to the first Mack who can bring her the head of Truck Turner...many try, and many fail, meeting up with the business end of Turner's Magnum street cannon, suffering a fatal case of lead poisoning. After the smoke clears, Harvard Blue (Kotto) makes the scene, driving a hard bargain with Dorinda (who's now between a rock and a hard place as Truck learns of her scheme to have him killed), and eventually calls in some heavy duty, out of town hitters. Blue puts the screws to Turner, as he and his men make it extremely personal, but the big payback's coming, as Truck's out to settle everyone's hash....can you dig it? I can...

I enjoyed Truck Turner a lot, as it had nearly everything I look for in a blaxploitation film, including lots of action, hard pumping `wakacha' music, interesting characters, misogynistic attitudes (Dorinda was the worst of the bunch, in this aspect), revenge motifs, plenty of colorful slang dialog, car chases, foot chases, serious beat downs, guns, obscenely 70s clothes, foul language, sexy women, bad attitudes, idiot racists getting their due...the only thing the movie lacked was a bit o' the nekkidness (Ms. Nichols had it going on in everyway, too bad she wasn't prone to sharing it like her more well known contemporary Pam Grier). One of the elements I liked most about the film was how director Kaplan kept the story moving along at a strong pace. I thought Hayes did particularly well, this being his first starring role, but the smart casting of experienced actors like Kotto and Nichols helped him immeasurably. I even enjoyed the subplot featuring Truck's girlfriend Annie (Chase), who was recently released from jail. One of my favorite scenes included Truck setting her up on a bogus shoplifting charge if only to put her back in jail and out of harms way. And Truck sure knew how to woo the ladies...where some men might bring flowers when picking up their girlfriend upon release from jail, Truck brings a six-pack. Nothing says `I love you' like a sixer of cheap brew. Another great scene involved Gator's `pimped' out funeral (attention MTV execs, here's a new show idea...Pimp My Funeral...pure programming gold), and the players depositing some white, powdery substance (flour?) into the casket, as a form of respect, I suppose...I'm not familiar with this particular custom, but maybe I'll try it at the next service I attend. As I said, there's no nekkidness, but a whole lot of skin (especially from Hayes' bald head)...if this is so, why's the film rated R? It's simple...the profanities fly through this movie like nobodies business...geezum crow Nichelle Nichols, whose character has about the foulest mouth in the film, never talked like that on Star Trek...and then there's the violence. Gut shots, leg shots, even a blood spurting face shot...woo hoo! I know a lot of people gripe about the glorification of violence within cinema, but I have to tell you, it was great to see characters just cut loose on each other in displays of bloody mayhem. Lastly I wanted to mention the excellent musical scoring composed and performed by Isaac Hayes, rhythm supplied by The Isaac Hayes Experience, and back up voices by Hot Buttered Soul Unlimited. Few worked scores as well for these films as Hayes, with the exception being that of Curtis Mayfield.

Released through MGM's Soul Cinema line, the anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) picture quality on this DVD is very sharp and clean, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes through very clear. The only extra available is a theatrical trailer, which is almost as enjoyable as the film itself.

Cookieman108

If I learned anything from this film it's that bounty hunters pretty much have free reign to do whatever they want, including beating up mopes, commandeering vehicles, participating in high speed car chases, and shooting people in public, in self defense, of course, all without having to worry about any messy legal entanglements. Also, if you're caring for your girlfriend's cat while she's in the joint, don't leave your last, good shirt lying about as the cat is liable to whiz on it...


This truck is a solid action vehichle
When there's crime about in 1970's Los Angeles, Black folks didn't call 911. They called Truck Turner ex football player turned lawman of the ghetto.
Issac Hayes is Truck Turner, a big black guy with a big black gun dispensing vigilante justice on the streets of 1970's LA. When he's not fighting crime, he's fighting to keep his larcenous girlfriend out of jail. On his mission to clean up the streets, he runs afoul of a slimy pimp named Gator. Tuner blows him away with his big black gun and that leads to a whole lotta trouble for our hero. Gator's Madam (played by Nichelle Nichols, known formerly as Lt. Uhura to Trekkers) puts a contract out on Turner. Turner kills the hitmen fairly easily with that big black gun, but wonders why someone is trying to kill him. When the underlings fail, Lt. Uhura puts up her stable of escorts up as collateral to a bunch of pimps for them to do the job for her. Most fear Truck and his big gun, but decide to go along with the deal (well a stable of extra hoes is worth the risk for a pimp) hoping to screw Lt Uhura. over and take her hoes from her. When he hears that there's a contract on him, Truck Takes action. He protects his girlfriend by having her arrested for shoplifting, then he goes after the pimps taking them out one by one until a thrilling climatic battle between himself and Harvard Blue (Yaphett Kotto) in a hospital. A shootout in a hospital! Well at least they'll be able to get medical attention quickly. The way the final gun battle ends is worth the price of the DVD alone. I have never seen someone take so long to die in a movie.
Truck has a final showdown with Lt. Uhura during an argument she uses language a Starfleet officer would never use. Worse yet, she tries to kill our hero. Truck takes her out with his big gun. Then drives down to the police station to pick up his girlfriend again. They drive off into the sunset and the movie ends.
Because of the first rate acting Truck Turner is a cut above your standard blaxploitation movie. It ranks right up there with Shaft as one of the best films of the genre. Isaac Hayes is great as Truck Turner playing him as tough and cool on the streets but still tender and sensitive when with his woman. Yaphett Kotto does a solid job as Harvard Blue, the pimp. Nichelle Nichols is the real star of this film. She shows amazing acting range playing a character that is the polar opposite of the dignified Star Trek communications officer she portrayed a few years earlier. She gives such a great performance here; I didn't know it was her until I looked at the ending credits! Nichols performance is worth the price of the DVD alone, as is seeing some of the crazy 1970's pimp suits on Harvard Blue and Gator.
Truck Turner is a Shawn James Essential Blaxploitation video. Pick this one up for your DVD collection today.


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