Detroit 9000 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Detroit 9000 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 28, 2025

Arthur Marks' "Detroit 9000" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by author Mikel Koven and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Even though Arthur Marks’ Detroit 9000 was never one of those forgotten genre films that desperately needed to be rediscovered, had Quentin Tarantino not praised it, it would have never appeared on the radar of many younger collectors. In the early days of the DVD era, this DVD release, accompanied by an identical VHS release, produced by Miramax, gave Detroit 9000 a new life. But even then, those renting or purchasing Detroit 9000 were already sold on genre films.

The real reason Detroit 9000 could not reach mainstream viewers is a pretty interesting one, which is why I decided to mention Tarantino and his endorsement.

Detroit 9000 is a hybrid project like Larry Yust’s Trick Baby. This means that it is an urban piece of Americana but embellished to be effective in ways different genre films are. The bulk of its material is of the kind that blaxploitation films promote, but there is plenty more of the kind that the blaxploitation films ignore. This is why its lead is a white cop. (In Trick Baby, the lead is a white con artist, too). Also, like Trick Baby, Detroit 9000 constantly switches the camera’s point of view by choosing to follow drastically different characters, ensuring that the viewer gets a proper, unfiltered look at their environment. Conventional blaxpoitation films behave differently. They pretend to sell reality too, but all of them are overstylized, over-the-top, impossible-to-take-seriously action films. Hybrid projects like Detroit 9000 and Trick Baby peaked and died during the 1970s.

In downtown Detroit, several masked and heavily armed criminals rob a motley crew of wealthy guests at a high-profile fundraiser organized to transform the career of a prominent black politician. A day later, while many small-time political activists rage and demand action from the authorities, white police detective Danny Bassett (Alex Rocco) and his black partner Jesse Williams (Hari Rhodes) are dispatched to find the identities of the criminals and bring them to justice. After wasting time on various fake leads for days, the detectives finally stumble upon something of substance at an upscale brothel, whose owner, Bassett’s on-again, off-again lover, reveals that one of her girls had been booked for a date with the prominent black politician and may have overheard intriguing information that could point them in the right direction. Bassett and Williams engage the girl and soon after enter a deep rabbit hole where multiple puppeteers are trying to outsmart each other and take possession of the loot from the fundraiser. While working hard to figure out all the strings the puppeteers pull and why, one of the detectives starts wondering whether keeping the loot for himself and leaving the country with it is a good move.

All of the material that would effortlessly fit into a conventional blaxploitation film has a certain spicy flavor and energy. However, it is not of the laced with humor and showy kind present in the likes of Hell Up in Harlem and Foxy Brown. This material is conceived and shot to create meaningful, thought-provoking contrasts. The remaining material is a mix of slightly over-the-top but still realistic action and fine footage from Detroit that transforms Detroit 9000 into a curious time capsule. (In Trick Baby the action is not as intense, but its abundant unfiltered footage from downtown Philadelphia transforms it into a curious time capsule as well).

The resolution is a giant curveball that only a legitimate cult film would produce. It is very effective. However, it has an unmissable noirish quality, and it would have made a great finale in a classic film noir from the 1950s.

Marks’ director of photography was Harry J. Marry, who will soon after lense the conventional blaxploitation films Friday Foster and J.D.'s Revenge.

Detroit 9000 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Detroit 9000 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The master that was used to prepare this release is not new. However, it produces visuals that look quite good. Yes, some of these visuals have rather obvious limitations, but there are no traces of problematic digital corrections and this is why the entire film has a fine organic appearance. It is just not the fresh and solid organic appearance that a proper new 2K or 4K master would produce. On a large screen, these visuals hold up nicely too. Color balance is good. Select primaries and supporting nuances can be slightly better saturated and balanced, but I did not see any troubling anomalies to report. On the contrary, in some delicate areas where the age of the master would show the most, I thought that color reproduction and balance were surprisingly nice. The main area where crucial improvements can be made is grain exposure. At the moment, all grain has the dated quality that was common on early masters from the DVD era. Image stability is good. I noticed a few nicks and small blemishes, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Detroit 9000 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provide for the main feature.

The lossless Mono track performs incredibly well. It has to be said that in many areas the diverse action footage makes its job easy, but I also think that it is a solid, very healthy track. Regardless of the nature of the footage, all exchanges are very clear and easy to follow as well. I am unsure there is room for meaningful improvements. Even if balance is tweaked and certain enhancements introduced, I think that the overall quality of the lossless track will remain the same.

Detroit 9000 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Mikel Koven, author of Blaxploitation Films. Mr. Koven discusses the production of Detroit 9000, the era in which it emerged and several interesting socio-cultural trends, and its narrative construction and style. Mr. Koven also explains why he believes Detroit 9000 is not a conventional blaxploitation film.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Detroit 9000. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Detroit 9000 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It won't take you long to realize that Detroit 9000 does not want to be seen as a conventional blaxploitation film. It creates its own identity by borrowing from several different places and revealing objectivity that allows it to evolve into a most intriguing piece of authentic urban Americana. The 1970s is the only decade that produced versatile and authentic films like it, so if you enjoy it, it is where you need to dig deep to find more of its kind. This Blu-ray release is included in Blaxploitation, a four-disc Region-Free box set, produced by Australian label Imprint Films. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.