Truck Turner (1974)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Jonathan Kaplan

Writers:

Michael Allin (writer)
Leigh Chapman (writer)

Release Date:

19 April 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Black, bold and bloody mean!

Plot:

Truck is a bounty hunter who gets a job to track down a guy named Gator. When he and his partner find him...

Plot Keywords:

Bounty Hunter | Vengeance | Hospital | Organized Crime | Convertible

Cast

Isaac Hayes	...	Mac 'Truck' Turner
Yaphet Kotto	...	Harvard Blue
Alan Weeks	...	Jerry
Annazette Chase	...	Annie
Nichelle Nichols	...	Dorinda
Sam Laws	...	Nate Dinwiddie
Paul Harris	...	Richard Leroy 'Gator' Johnson
Charles Cyphers	...	Drunk
John Kramer	...	Desmond
Scatman Crothers	...	Duke
Dick Miller	...	Fogarty
Bob Harris	...	Snow
Jac Emil	...	Reno
Stan Shaw	...	Fontana
Wendell Tucker	...	Wendell

Also Known As:

Black Bullet

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-16 | West Germany:18 | Australia:R | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R | Norway:18 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Originally developed as a film for actor Robert Mitchum. After Mitchum, 'James Coburn' was attached to star as Truck Turner, but that fell through as well. Having already invested in the script, American International Pictures decided to turn it into an "urban picture" and cast a black actor. Dick Anthony Williams, best know for his work in The Mack (1973) and Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973) was initially cast, but was quickly replaced by Isaac Hayes, who wanted to get into acting. It was also felt that Hayes had a bigger name draw than Williams.

Quotes:

Truck Turner: Anybody ask you what happened, tell 'em you been hit by a truck: Mac 'Truck' Turner!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Rod Stewart (#7.1)" (1981)

Isaac Hayes is my hero!!!

Made in 1974, this slice of blaxploitation is Jonathan Kaplan's(one of Corman's many disciple's) fourth film, and it's a very good one. It features several familiar faces, but the two biggest stars are Issac Hayes(Escape from New York) and Yaphet Kotto(Alien).

The story's pretty simple. Mack Truck Turner(Hayes) and his partner Jerry(Alan Weeks) are skip tracers who are hired to track down a notorious pimp called Gator, but are left with no choice but to kill him. That's where Turners problems really begin, as Gator's main 'ho' Dorinda (played by Nichelle Nichols, who I never knew could be so sexy) decides she wants to avenge his death. She hires a sleuth of bad boys including the mack daddy of all pimps, Harvard Blue (Kotto) to trap Turner and kill him.

The action here is pretty good, but it's the nice comedic touches that make it really special. For instance, you've got to check out the pimp style funeral. It's hilarious!!! I may be a bit biased in my review cause I gotta tell ya...Isaac Hayes is my hero! The man can sing. The man can act. And you know what else? He's just damned cool! To you music lovers out there, be sure and check out Isaac's double lp, "Black Moses". In my opinion it's the best damned soul album there is! Say, jive turkeys, can you dig it?!