Truck Turner (1974)

Blaxploitation film about a former professional football player who becomes a bounty hunter in Los Angeles.

Director:

Jonathan Kaplan

Writers:

Oscar Williams (screenplay), Michael Allin (screenplay)

Stars:

Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto, Alan Weeks

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Jac Emel	...	Reno (as Jac Emeil)
Stan Shaw	...	Fontana
Wendell Tucker	...	Wendell
Sonny Barnes	...	Toro (as Clarence Barnes)

Storyline

Truck is a bounty hunter who gets a job to track down a guy named Gator. When he and his partner find him, a chase ensues and Gator is killed. This makes Gator's woman, Dorinda, very angry and she puts a hit on Truck. The man who agrees to kill Truck is named Blue. The question is whether Truck can survive with Blue and his gang on his trail.

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Plot Keywords:

bounty hunter | year 1973 | topless female nudity | bare breasts | creme de menthe | 

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Taglines:

Black, bold and bloody mean!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stan Shaw's debut cinematic appearance.

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Goofs

When the camera is attached to Yaphet Kotto as he staggers around near the end of the movie the harness/rods attached to his shoulders are visible just at the base of the screen.

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Quotes

Harvard Blue: What do you want?
Dorinda: A bucket o' blood. I want the nigger that wasted Gator.

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Alternate Versions

The original UK cinema release was cut for an 'X' certificate to remove a man being kneed in the groin and a shot of Truck pushing a gun into a guard's buttocks. All later releases were uncut.

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Connections

Spoofed in Rush Hour (1998)

User Reviews

Wild, mean blaxploiter packs a hard punch.

The once-almighty American International Pictures had every bit of success going in the 70s with movies like BLACK CAESAR, BLACULA, COFFY, and many others, that turned the blaxploitation genre into a phenomenon. TRUCK TURNER continues the timeless tradition with style. With Isaac Hayes in his only notable role of a bounty hunter, you can expect this to be the meanest, most wildest, most violent "blaction" flick on celluloid. Aiming the gun close to the camera looked fascinating. The combination of action and exploitation is not just smooth as velvet, but also rough as guts. Apparently, critics wanted to dismiss this film from all the graphic violence it displays, and while that still remains the case, it gave the genre a step forward and was much needed to satisfy its fans. Hayes' music score is pure all the way, and runs along with the plentiful, but simple straightforward action sequences. I felt the piano score was tiringly repetitive for a film that offered more punch. It wouldn't be a blaxploiter without some groove, humor, and soul poured in, and there's a lot here. TRUCK TURNER is one of the finer movies from an era that's been vanished a good long time, but do check out BLACK CAESAR, SUPER FLY, and BLACK BELT JONES for the very best. Great fun for all "blaxplo" fanatics!

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1975 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Truck

Filming Locations:

Brownleigh Apartments - 626 St. Paul Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,230,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Sequoia Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1