7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
Starring: Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto, Nichelle Nichols, Charles Cyphers, Scatman CrothersThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
BDInfo
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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.
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.
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" 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.
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