Review of Truck Turner (1974) by Darrin C — 06 Feb 2015

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, (The Accused (1988), Unlawful Entry (1992) and Brokedown Palace (1999)) and released by American International Pictures. This blaxploitation film was the acting debut of singer and musician Isaac Hayes, who had just won the Best Original Song Oscar for Shaft (1971), and he was looking to get into acting.

It's a good film with some good action set pieces along the way. Truck Turner (Hayes) is a former football player turned bounty hunter who has been assigned by bail bondsman Fogarty (Dick Miller) to look for pimp Richard Leroy "Gator" Johnson (Paul Harris) who has skipped bail and gone on the run.

Following a tip off from Gator's old pimp friend Duke (Scatman Crothers), they manage to find Gator, but it ends up having bad repercussions, especially when Gator's former prostitutes, led by Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols) and crime kingpin Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto).

With Truck's life in danger, he's forced to go on the run across Los Angeles, to stay ahead of Blue. but also find a way to fight back. It's heavily layered with a lot of action set pieces, but it is a suspenseful and exciting film to watch, plus this is what you'd expect from the blaxploitation genre.

Violent yet enjoyable. and Hayes is a likable presence, plus he also scored the film, some passages of the music were later used for the Kill Bill films. Oh, Quentin!! :P.