If this is what Blaxploitation is all about then it doesn't really interest me. Felt just like a fairly average crime thriller with lots of 'jive' talk thrown in. And pimps. Not entirely awful but not particularly interesting.
A lot of blaxploitation films act like they're installments of TV shows, with titles based on the lead character, theme music to match, television-type supporting casts, and a crime plot of the week or two. Or in the case of Truck Turner, at least three. Isaac Hayes provides his own music this time, playing the title bounty hunter who hits like a mack truck (and everyone knows it). A lot of cool details, like a girlfriend who's always in and out of jail, a very good cat actor (to the point that I thought he was Hayes' own), and a surprise appearance by Nichelle Nichols as a foul-mouthed Madame. The action is pretty standard for this kind of thing, but my problems are with the structure. Directorially, it's all over the place. We keep switching villains as if it really were a bunch of episodes smashed together, and the tone jumps around accordingly. The first half of the movie seems to dial the exploitation elements way down, but the second half is violent to the point of cruelty. Yaphet Kotto's last scene has a really cool art house touch I wish had been more prevalent throughout, and then going after the final boss feels almost like an afterthought. So while Truck Turner is fun and lively, I can't quite recommend its story.
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DerekFME
If this is what Blaxploitation is all about then it doesn't really interest me. Felt just like a fairly average crime thriller with lots of 'jive' talk thrown in. And pimps. Not entirely awful but not particularly interesting.Siskoid
A lot of blaxploitation films act like they're installments of TV shows, with titles based on the lead character, theme music to match, television-type supporting casts, and a crime plot of the week or two. Or in the case of Truck Turner, at least three. Isaac Hayes provides his own music this time, playing the title bounty hunter who hits like a mack truck (and everyone knows it). A lot of cool details, like a girlfriend who's always in and out of jail, a very good cat actor (to the point that I thought he was Hayes' own), and a surprise appearance by Nichelle Nichols as a foul-mouthed Madame. The action is pretty standard for this kind of thing, but my problems are with the structure. Directorially, it's all over the place. We keep switching villains as if it really were a bunch of episodes smashed together, and the tone jumps around accordingly. The first half of the movie seems to dial the exploitation elements way down, but the second half is violent to the point of cruelty. Yaphet Kotto's last scene has a really cool art house touch I wish had been more prevalent throughout, and then going after the final boss feels almost like an afterthought. So while Truck Turner is fun and lively, I can't quite recommend its story.