Truck Turner

1974's TRUCK TURNER is one of the lesser blaxploitation entries to my eyes, but still usually delivers the modest thrills this genre typically offers.  Interestingly though, if you're looking for a plethora of naked women and leering sex scenes, you'll have to look elsewhere.  Those familiar with these type of films can quote the number of times Pam Grier loses her brassiere, and often at what time marker (down to the second) in her sleazy epics.  There's only one such moment in this movie, but it ranks highly in the Trash Pantheon: a topless woman runs in slow motion through a yard, plunging scissors into one of our heroes' shoulders.  You gotta see it.

The rest of the movie isn't bad.  It has a good cast.  Isaac Hayes, who croons the title song along with those patented back up singers, plays Mack "Truck" Turner, a bounty hunter/skip tracer who goes after those who jump bail.  Usually scumbags.  One is a pimp named Gator (Paul Harris).  He's the one with the scissors wielding girlfriend.  Truck and his partner end up killing Gator in the fracas.  This sets off some drama among Gator's multitude of prostitutes and their den mother, Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols), who offers the harem to any other pimp who will waste Truck.  One such willing chap is the impecaccbly dressed Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto).

Meanwhile, Truck's girlfriend Annie (Annazette Chase) wants them to get the hell out of Los Angeles.  She needs to stay out of jail first.  But she's not all bad; she does love her kitty cat, the one who pees on Trucks threads.

Isaac is pretty good in TRUCK TURNER. He's got the physical presence and is believable carrying a gun. Kotto again has this unexplainable malevolent presence.  Nichols, as far away from Lieutenant Uhura on the original Star Trek as she could possibly be, is sexy and tough as nails.  Some of her dialogue is blushingly ribald and gut bustingly hilarious.  Even good ol' Scatman Crothers has a cameo.  And of course, so does Dick Miller.

Director Jonathan Kaplan, steadily building his resume, mounts the production with some skill.  That abrupt cut to the end titles is curious, though.