TRUCK TURNER: Hit By A Mack Truck Of Blaxploitation Euphoria
If you were directing exploitation movies between 1972and 1976, there was an above-average chance you would make at least oneblaxploitation movie. Tons of top talent from the exploitation cinema worldcontributed to this genre during these years, including luminaries like JackHill, Larry Cohen, Arthur Marks and Jack Starrett. Jonathan Kaplan, a graduateof the Roger Corman school, was another contributor to this cycle - and hecreated Schlockmania's all-time favorite blaxploitation opus in Truck Turner.
The title refers to the film's hero, Mack"Truck" Turner (Isaac Hayes). He's a skip-tracer: when a criminalskips bail, he's the one sent out to bring them back, dead or alive. Truck ispretty good at his work and that becomes a problem when he takes down a viciouspimp named Gator (Paul Harris). This earns him the ire of madam Dorinda(Nichelle Nichols), who puts a bounty on Truck's head by promising her stableof prostitutes to the player who can take the bounty hunter down. Soon, Truckand his friends are attacked on all sides by an array of gun-toting pimps,including the smart and deadly Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto).
TruckTurner has everything you want from a blaxploitation movie.The script, whose writers included BlackBelt Jones scribe Oscar Williams and Michael Allin of Enter The Dragon fame, delivers plenty of action but also weaves ina thread of streetwise humor. It also supplements the straightforward plotlinewith some interesting vignettes that add texture: highlights include a pimpfuneral and Truck visiting his girlfriend Annie (Anzanette Chase), who's doinga stretch for shoplifting, at the county jail while the other female inmateslustily catcall Truck.
TruckTurner also boasts an ace cast. Not only does Hayes handle theaction and humor well, he also brings an easygoing charisma that anchors thefilm's wilder elements. Nichols gives a ferocious performance as the vengefulmadam, showing she could have rivaled Pam Grier in the blaxploitation arena ifshe'd had more opportunities in this vein, and Kotto brings both intensity andintelligence to his bad guy role to flesh it out. Also of note is Alan Weeks asTruck's sidekick: their banter carries the humor in the film's first half. Elsewhere,Sam Weeks is touching as a bail bondsman pal of Truck's who is thinking ofretirement and Harris is downright terrifying in his brief but memorable turnas Gator.
On the casting tip, it's worth noting that thesupporting cast offers a litany of familiar faces in fun roles. For instance, you get Scatman Crothers as aretired pimp tended to by his women and Dick Miller as a harried bails bondsmanwho tries to haggle with Truck. Future John Carpenter ensemble member CharlesCyphers also turns up briefly as a wino. And the hits keep coming: Werewolf Woman star Annik Borel has amemorable cameo as a topless, knife-wielding prostitute, Stan Shaw plays ayoung pimp and future action movie regular Mel Novak pops up as a doctor.
Most importantly, the direction by Kaplan energizes the proceedings. He cut his teeth directing quickies for New World Pictures like Night Call Nurses and he imports elements of that house style here: lots of imaginative camera angles, breakneck pacing and some sly in-jokes (a hitman named Joe Dante!). He shows a flair for capitalizing on the color and quirky details of his locations and using stylization to make the energetically staged action pop on the screen: for example, the death of a bad guy near the end utilizes a bit of camera-mounted-on-actor wizardry right out of the Martin Scorcese playbook.
Kaplan's stylish work is aided immensely by a talentedgroup of collaborators behind the scenes. Cinematographer Charles Wheeler was awell-traveled d.p. who did a variety of t.v. movies, Disney fare and classicslike Silent Running and he gives thefilm a bold look full of exotic camera placements, creative use of differentlenses and plentiful color. This was an early editing gig for Michael Kahn, thefuture go-to editor for Steven Spielberg: he gives the film taut rhythms,particularly in the action, and also contributes a fine opening montagesequence (he even contributed some 2nd unit photography).
Finally, TruckTurner has the kind of lavish funk score that any blaxploitation classicrequires. After his success with Shaft,it was natural to have Hayes handle the score here and he rises to theoccasion: a dazzling main theme with percussive horn bursts, rich orchestrationand double-time wah-wah guitar sets the tone for a score that melds classicmovie scoring style with an array of blues, soul and jazz stylings. Its bestmoment is an epic, nearly ten minute cue that accompanies a lengthy car chasein the middle of the film: the fusion of Kaplan's directorial verve and Hayes'plush funk is as enjoyable as the blaxploitation genre gets. Needless to say,the double-LP soundtrack album is highly recommended.
In short, Truck Turner ticks off all the boxes for a blaxploitation classic: you've got a resourceful and streetwise hero, colorful villains, plentiful action, a little cheesecake, plenty of urban grit and a pulse-pounding score that keeps you grooving from start to finish. All these elements fuse together seamlessly to deliver what Schlockmania considers the most purely entertaining entry of its genre.