Truck Turner (1974) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Spain ]

Truck Turner is a slightly satirical but still relatively serious "blaxploitation" movie, but what's really important is that it's just a great, fun 70's action flick that entertains the whole way through. Upbeat music from star Isaac Hayes, great characters and dialog, fun chases, fun shootouts and some surprising (and very 70's) twists and turns. Any movie with Star Trek's Uhura talking about her prostitutes with phrases like "we call her turnpike, 'cause you pay to get on and pay to get off" can't be anything but entertaining. Seriously good shots like the final battle and use of LA give it scope and intensity too. Just a great package all over. Kino's disc is one of their better ones. The blu-ray has a nice HD image that, while perhaps not a recent remaster, shows a ton of detail and very little flaw. Some noise in dark scenes can distract, but the film grain is usually well-defined and appealing and the urban film look is very well represented. Sound was clean, which was nice since many of these 70's exploitation flicks feature too much crackle and distortion, but Truck Turner sounds like it was cleared up and remastered to some degree with no real flaws. Features include one of the better commentaries I have heard recently. The director and a moderator get into all aspects of production and behind-the-scenes stories and this is one blunt conversation. Very few punches are pulled as the director talks about who had an attitude on set, what the studio really wanted and why many decisions were made (or not made). In addition to this great commentary there is a panel interview, a "trailers from hell" skit and the normal trailer. It's not the most robust package ever seen, but it's all highly entertaining and well worth listening to. Overall Kino hit this one out of the park, much like Miracle Mile, Cherry 2000 and some other releases. They are truly evolving into a very impressive label and Truck Turner is very much a release worth getting if you like 70's action, blaxploitation and good audio commentaries. Highly recommended.

Good quality

Very good movie, I love old school movie. They are the best.

The best part of the movie is that Truck just wants to earn himself a living going after bail jumpers,but as with folks like that things are not going to be made that easy,especially “Gator” Nichelle Nichole’s main squeeze and when ole Truck takes him down a few pegs that’s when the real fun begins

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...

Action the whole movie and it's quite funny too. If you like movies full of action and gun play this is a movie you want to see. It's got pimps and ho's and the bounty hunters. I first saw this movie years ago when I thought Issac Hayes was just a singer boy was I wrong. I love black action movies like this and you will get your money worth with this movie.

DVD Review: MGM version. It plays. Movie Review: Next to Coffy, this is my favorite Blaxploitation movie of all time. The story, the violence, the dialog, the music, acting....... etc. is all so bad it's great. But one actor I thought was who was legitimately good is Yaphet Kotto. I highly recommend this movie for Exploitation enthusiasts. In Conclusion: 4 Stars for the DVD and 5 stars for the movie.

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