Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Truck Turner Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 6, 2015

In 1972, Isaac Hayes won an Academy Award for best song with “Theme from ‘Shaft’” -- a significant achievement for the artist and a breakthrough for the blacksploitation genre. With such a massive success carrying him to new heights of fame, it was time for Hayes to take command of his own starring vehicle. Borrowing the “Shaft” formula and reviving its sound for a new character, 1974’s “Truck Turner” endeavored to build a bigger, broader hero with Hayes at the helm, sent into the thick of trouble as a bounty hunter in deep with a nation of furious pimps. Featuring big action and hard dialogue, the movie is an ideal fit for Hayes’s inexperience as a leading man, often urging the performer into physical altercations instead of dramatic ones, slowly figuring out the extent of his big screen persona as director Jonathan Kaplan arranges a surprising amount of chaos to help mask any thespian limitations.

Mack “Truck” Turner (Isaac Hayes) is an ex-football hero who’s become a bounty hunter in Los Angeles after a career-ending injury. Partnering with Jerry (Alan Weeks), the men scour the city on the hunt for bail-jumpers, proving their worth with incredible successes. Offered a particularly difficult target in Gator (Paul Harris), a vicious pimp, Truck and Jerry commence a plan to zero in on the hiding man, who’s partnering with his madam girlfriend Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols) to keep out of sight. When Gator is killed during the arduous retrieval process, Dorinda wants revenge, calling on all the pimps in the city to unite, offering half of Gator’s business in return for Truck’s head. Unsure of such attention is Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto), who finds his own legitimacy threatened by Dorinda’s fury, pulled into the hunt as a way to silence her.

Truck Turner is an unusual hero. He’s greatly flawed but good humored, introduced in the film as a man on his own, taking care of a cat that’s urinated all over his clothes. He has a girlfriend, but she’s serving time in prison, and he’s tight with Jerry, his right-hand man in the bounty hunter game, with the pair enjoying buddy cop chemistry as they set out to retrieve no-good crooks who’ve unwisely elected to skip their court date. Truck isn’t a superhero, but he does possess an unnatural power over women, who practically riot in his presence. He’s a compelling character built out of spare parts from other actioners, and Kaplan holds up his end of the bargain by setting a streetwise mood, where bail bonds businesses litter the neighborhood and pimps provide nightly entertainment, building an obstacle course for Truck to navigate.

However, these are not ordinary pimps in everyday wear. “Truck Turner” presents an extended look at these ornately decorated foes, who suit up in fur, hats, and twirl canes, forming a Legion of Doom for sex exploitation bosses, which finally puts to rest where “Chappelle’s Show” received its inspiration for one of its best skits, “The Player Hater’s Ball.” Harvard Blue is the alpha pimp, but he’s hardly the villain of the piece. It’s Nichelle Nichols as Dorinda who commits grand theft movie, barreling through “Truck Turner” with incredible rage, spewing racial epithets and contempt in a manner that’s a million miles away from her iconic, measured work as Uhura on “Star Trek.” It’s a fantastic performance, unhinged and foaming at the mouth, blowing Kotto off the screen, making one wish that Dorinda was the primarily antagonist.

“Truck Turner” has a relatively simple plot, tracking the bounty hunters as they strive to collect Gator, eventually receiving a dose of their own medicine when the pimps set out to gun down Truck and Jerry, even reaching out to intimidate the football hero’s girlfriend and her cat. Dramatics aren’t substantial, leaving Kaplan to fill the viewing experience with chases and shoot-outs, with many of them highly effective. The best is an extended mid-movie pursuit of Gator that begins in cars and ends up on foot, tearing through the streets and a water treatment facility before ending up in a bar fight. Kaplan keeps the effort awake, even when the feature stumbles through more emotional encounters, which aren’t successful for multiple reasons, including Hayes’s limited skill in front of a camera (he would improve in later years). Behind the scenes as the effort’s composer, he’s gold, reviving his work on “Shaft” to infuse “Truck Turner” with funky sounds and a name-calling theme song to boost the character’s credibility with audiences.

Truck Turner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation benefits from its 1970s setting, enjoying bold colors with extravagant costuming and street signage, with hues making a secure impression throughout the viewing experience, extending to skintones, which look natural. Sharpness is satisfactory, providing a detailed look at facial particulars and, again, clothing, which carries all sorts of textures. Cityscapes are open for inspection, along with set decoration. Grain is present and filmic. Delineation isn't a problem, with communicative distances and low-lit encounters. Some speckling remains, but overt damage isn't a concern.

Truck Turner Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix shows some concerning volatility with music, which isn't evenly balanced with dialogue exchanges, often surging in volume when the soundtrack comes alive. While it's not a painful development, it makes the movie sound a little strange at times, hearing the dialogue and action dialed down to make room for Hayes's score. Performances aren't lost, with clear dramatics and comfortable group activity. Atmospherics for street life are evocative, and location changes are handled adequately. Hiss isn't a concern here, and the range is free of crispy extremes.

Truck Turner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Jonathan Kaplan.

• "Q&A at the New Beverly" (7:27, SD) is an excerpt from a 2008 discussion with Kaplan, Joe Dante, and stuntman Bob Minor (who doesn't actually speak) inside the famous Los Angeles revival house. Kaplan runs the show, sharing anecdotes about Kotto's character demands and Hayes's rather extravagant way of testing out a new score.

• "Trailers From Hell" (2:47, HD) is hosted by director Ernest Dickerson, who isn't particularly prepared to discuss "Truck Turner," often pausing to listen to the dialogue.

• Radio Spot (1:01) shares news of a double bill, pairing "Truck Turner" with "Foxy Brown."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (5:13, HD) is included.

Truck Turner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Truck Turner" is a strange film, often unsure if the whole endeavor is a comedy or profoundly dramatic. Character deaths are shocking, treated with extremity to sock the viewer in the gut. And there's the closer, where a hospital is shot up by the heroes and villains, with Harvard using a little boy as a human shield. If there are any laughs in the effort, they end there. Kaplan delivers the goods, as uneven as they are at times, digging into the blacksploitation mood with aplomb. Granted, he's gifted encouraging ingredients in Hayes, Kotto, and Nichols, but the helmer does pay attention to atmosphere, making sure the feature has flavor, even when it doesn't always retain focus. "Truck Turner" is an entertaining picture, and it's easy to see how much it's influenced other directors throughout the years. It's infectious fun, but not something that demands profound consideration.