Bryan Kluger The late 60s and early to mid 70s was when the height of the iconic blaxploitation cinema was booming in theaters. This sub-genre of movies usually included an almost all African American cast where the lead character was after justice and or revenge. Besides the amazing Fred Williamson being the poster child for these films, Oscar winner Isaac Hayes was right up there, standing with Williamson. With the amount of success that 'Shaft' had in 1972, the studios wanted Hayes for his own film. Just two years after 'Shaft', Hayes starred in 'Truck Turner', which is one of the best blaxploitation films you'll ever see.It's highly entertaining, full of action and one liners, and even served as inspiration for future films and comedy sketches throughout the years. Even 41 years late, 'Truck Turner' with Isaac Hayes still holds up with the rest of them. That being said, the acting by Hayes really isn't anything to commend here, as this was one of his first outings into acting, but luckily director Jonathan Kaplan weaves is more action and chases into 'Truck Turner' than having Hayes try and deliver melodramatic monologues. It was a wise choice and made the film much better.The film follows Mack Turner (Hayes), who goes by the name Truck, hence the title. Truck used to play pro-football, but had to retire after a bad injury. Now he is one of the best bail bondsman bounty hunters in the area, along with his partner Jerry (Alan Weeks). There is no criminal or bond jumper to difficult for Truck and Jerry to find and capture. They soon get a difficult criminal to capture by the name of Gator (Paul Harris), who is a violent pimp. Truck and Jerry have trouble locating him, since his madam girlfriend Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols) has him in hiding.To make matters worse, Dorinda puts out a bounty to all the criminals and violent pimps for Truck's head on a stick (in so many words). Meanwhile, another rowdy pimp by the name of Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto) is playing both sides for his own secret reasons. It's a lot like 'Warriors' when you think about it. A couple of people are trying to not get killed by a bunch of people looking for them on the city streets.Here though, you have the wit and seduction of Isaac Hayes front and center. I don't know who's idea it was, but it's hilarious to watch every single female in the film minus Dorinda, fall head over heels for Truck, no matter what he does. It's just hilariously fantastic from start to finish. The action never really lets up either, and has some great chase and fight sequences, including a surprising death scene.Nichelle Nichols is by far my favorite character here, because I was so used to seeing her as the bold and great character on 'Star Trek', but here, she is rude, vicious, and plain old evil. What a fantastic performance. 'Truck Turner' is one of those rare gems of a film that people rarely discuss, but you know it's almost always on their minds, for just how much fun it really is. With energetic performances, a great cast, and one heck of an original music score, 'Truck Turner' still is pure cinematic joy.

Scott LeBrun Isaac Hayes effortlessly projects tons of cool in this starring feature. He plays the title role, a football star turned skip tracer (a detective who tracks down bail jumpers) who works with a partner, Jerry (Alan Weeks). He gets an assignment to nab a ruthless pimp named Gator (Paul Harris). In the course of attempting to apprehend Gator, Truck and Jerry are forced to gun the man down. This doesn't sit well with Gators' woman, a madam and maniacal harridan named Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols, a long way from Lt. Uhura). So she recruits other pimps to act as assassins and take out Truck.Hayes's screen presence makes all the difference. This is a mighty fine vehicle for him, and he composes the delightful score as well. He has fine chemistry with both the amiable Weeks and the very sexy Annazette Chase as Trucks' frustrated girlfriend Annie. Jonathan Kaplan ("The Accused", "Heart Like a Wheel") directs in high style, and there's quite an enjoyable amount of action. Things get effectively violent, too, with lots of squibs going off and much gushing of the red stuff. "Truck Turner" is not without a sense of humour, as proved by the "funeral for a pimp" sequence. The final shootout inside the hospital is visceral and exciting.Nichols is a fiery and striking villainess with a foul mouth, and the other supporting players fare pretty well. Yaphet Kotto does what he can with an under-written role as an ambitious crook who understands Truck better than most of the inept would be killers in the story. But get a load of the actors who also appear: Sam Laws, Charles Cyphers, Scatman Crothers (sporting a hilarious, ridiculous wig), Dick Miller, Stan Shaw, Henry Kingi, Don Megowan, Tara Strohmeier, Mel Novak, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Johnny Ray McGhee, and John Dennis. Look for director Kaplan in an uncredited cameo as a cook."Truck Turner" is solid and diverting, a good example of the blaxploitation genre overall.Eight out of 10.

PeterMitchell-506-564364 As blackploitation movies go, this is one of the really better ones. Hayes has great screen presence and is in fine form here as a bounty hunter, who you don't want to push too many of his buttons. I love the start, where he finds his cat has p...ed on another of his shirts. His partner best/friend is a racey talking dude who Hayes coaxs into taking his new sports car on a speed run, and of course he's pulled over and ticketed, where Hayes smugly says after, "In future you should drive more carefully". A.k.a Black Bullet, this is good solid rate entertainment. Hayes who of course is Truck Turner, or Truck Mac Turner, if you wanna get more technical, has gone too far with his latest bounty, that has him accidentally killing him. The dead pimp's girlfriend, who runs her own stable of high class girls, is none too pleased, and puts a bounty on Truck's head, employing, mob guy acquaintance (Kotto) to take him down. As a madam, she's a sour, loose tongued ho, a real nasty so and so, describing some of her beauties, with references to finger lickin' Fried Chicken, and turnpikes. And if you want to leave her stable, girls, you better have one hell of a reason. In the wake of this tragedy. Kotto, even pays his respects by slagging into an open casket containing the poor SOB. How respectful is that. She wants so bad to kill Hayes, where earlier questioned in a salon, surrounded by her beauties, she plays funny buggers, Hayes finding this scene not so funny. I've never seen such hostility between cop and madam in this, than I have in other blackploitation movies which gave it a nasty edge about it, I liked. After one ho, knife's Hayes partner (Weeks) in the back Hayes, he knocks her out than says "Bitch" in a "Damn you" manner. Hayes too has a woman, he really loves, and will do anything to protect her, even if it means setting up for theft and putting her in prison. The last twenty minute revenge part of the film was great, Kotto staggering back to his car, outside a hospital, after killing Weeks, and being shot in the back by Hayes, showing such determination for the black guy. When he steps inside the car, his head hits the horn. Dead. Too, I loved the shootout bit between Hayes and the Madam, where I was rooting for Hayes, always the winner here. If blackploitation movies are your thing, and by high chance, you haven't seen this-my advice to you. Hunt it down. This one's a classic, and one with style, plus some of Hayes's scores, the magic singing voice of a black god, who could act too.

Scarecrow-88 A bounty hunter, Mack Truck Turner(Isaac Hayes)has a contract out on him by Dorinda(Nichelle Nichols, in a role bound to shock folks who know her as Ohura on STAR TREK), the vengeance seeking broad whose pimp daddy was murdered by him in self defense. Her fellow pimps across the city decide to take her up on that offer, but they aren't so lucky because Truck is hard to kill, and smarter than all of them(..that plus these hoodlums are all lousy shots because once they have aim, fire, and miss, Truck's taking them out). Harvard Blue(Yaphet Kotto), a sadistic pimp with quite a reputation, offers Dorinda his services for most of her prostitution business and hires assassins to target Truck, seriously hurting his boss and killing his bounty hunter partner. Soon Blue and his cronies themselves become the prey and Trucker the predator with a lot of dead bodies left after the dust settles.Tailor made vehicle for Isaac Hayes, getting a terrific role as a nearly unstoppable bad ass with an unglamorous career chasing down pedophiles, rapists, junkies and pimps(..along with Alan Weeks as his partner Jerry)for bond claimer Nate Dinwiddie(Sam Laws). I LOVED how the camera lens stretches the nose of Truck's gun giving the weapon a very intimidating look you just know is gonna cause some damage to the scum shot at.What a great cast of black actors! Yaphet Kotto is as intense and charismatic as Hayes, and what a finale in the hospital! Nichols as the vehement head hunter wanting Turner's death sure surprises(..just watch the scene where she scolds her whores who challenge her credibility as a proper pimp madame or how Nichols insults her male colleagues demeaning their manhood out of fear regarding Truck)in how she conducts herself towards those she has contempt for. I'd hate to not mention Weeks as Turner's buddy and fellow hunter whose life is constantly threatened due to the dangerous job(..and being associated with Turner)..he has some of the best lines and delivers them with pitch perfect accuracy. And Annazette Chase as Annie, Turner's thief girlfriend who can not seem to stay out of prison(..very amusing sequence has Turner setting the poor girl up for shoplifting out of fear for her safety!). Other amusing cameos from Scatman Crothers(..as a retired pimp with a hairpiece!), John Carpenter vet Charles Cyphers(..as a drunk!)and Dick Miller as a lawyer who often pays for Turner and Jerry's services.Lots of attitude, "colorful"(..often hilarious)street language, the gritty environment of New York City, and extreme graphic violence featuring plenty of bullets & blood. Solid entry in the blacksploitation genre.