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Matthew 'Stymie' Beard, Annazette Chase, Scatman Crothers, Isaac Hayes, Henry Kingi ... see more see more... , Yaphet Kotto , Sam Laws , Earl Maynard , Don McGowan , Dick Miller , Nichelle Nichols , Mel Novak , Edna Richardson , Stan Shaw , Esther Sutherland , Don Watters , Alan Weeks , John Kramer , Lisa Farringer , Clarence A. Barnes , Larry Gabriel , Eddie Smith , Robert H. Harris , Paul Harris , Annik Borel , Jac Emil , Donnie Williams

Isaac Hayes puts his gun where his groove is in his role as hard-case bounty hunter Mack "Truck" Turner, three years after composing the legendary score for Shaft (1971). Ex-football star turned skip-... read more read more...tracer, Turner specializes in bringing in the criminals police are too scared to chase, and when he's hired to capture sociopathic pimp Gator (Paul Harris), he finds himself confronted by the most vicious killers in the underground scene. Little does Turner know that Gator's woman, Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols), has a deep-running cold streak of vengeance, and has hired ruthless hit man Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto), as well as a legion of other like-minded and equally determined assassins, to snuff out Truck's supercharged motor once and for all. It's now up to Truck to keep his cool long enough to get to the source of the seemingly endless stream of bullets that come at increasingly unsettling intervals. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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71% liked it

1,352 ratings

R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan

Release Date: April 19, 1974

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DVD Release Date: January 9, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (111)

  • cosmo313
    August 13, 2011
    cosmo313
    This is a fairly obscure blaxploitation film, but it's worth seeking out. Jonathan Kaplan (Unlawful Entry) directs this action picture about an ex-ffotball player turner bounty hunter out for revenge.

    Isaac Hayes provides the music and stars as the title character, and he does ... read morea pretty good job. He makes for a credible action hero. I know he acted in some other movies, but it's a shame he didn't act in more, because he could have made a great career in pictures. Yaphet Kotto does a great (as always) job as the main villain, but I don't think this is his best work. It's not bad, though. The music is fun, the location shooting looks good, and the action is pretty well done, especially the mayhem at t he hospital.

    This probably falls somewhere in the upper half of the middle of the blaxploitation spectrum, as far as quality goes, and, while this isn't really a terrific picture in general, for a B-movie, it's quite decent so, as I said, try and seek this one out if you're in the mood for an entertaining 70s action romp.

    On a personal note, I actually have an extremely loose connection to this movie. My brother's girlfriend's boss's husband was a child actor, and he was in this movie. His name is Randy Gray, and in this film, he was credited as "Kid In Hospital". He's the kid that Yaphet Kotto briefly takes hostage as he tries to escape during the climactic shootout.
  • rayman0071
    April 22, 2011
    rayman0071
    A Soul Cinema Classic from the golden age of the 1970's. Director Jonathan Kaplan first and only attempt into making a blaxploitation flick that became AIP's biggest moneymaker of that year. Not only the movie was great,but the soundtrack to this is incredible! Watching the grea... read moret Issac Hayes(who won the Oscar in 1971 for his Musical Theme to Shaft) as Truck Turner who is a modern day bounty hunter taking out the baddies including the ultimate showdown with Yaphet Kotto is well worth viewing not to even mention the grindhouse performance of Nichelle "Uhara" Nichols as a sadistic evil female pimp(who wants to get her revenge against Truck Turner) who acting chops goes to anything beyond the dimension of Star Trek(and as far away from the Uhara character as she could get). "Truck Turner" was one of two action-packed films that were HUGE moneymaker for American International when it was released in 1974. The other AIP moneymaker? "Foxy Brown" which came out in the summer of that year.
  • matertenebraum
    October 16, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Well straight off, I've got to say that the dialogue throughout the first half of this film had me in absolute non stop, side splitting hysterics. In terms of script, I can't honestly off the top of my head think of another film that comes even close to this! Just check out the c... read moreonversation between our main man (the awesomely cool Issac Hayes) and his bounty hunting partner (the always excellent Alan Weeks) concerning Hayes cat peeing on his shirt as an example to illustrate the above ? absolutely priceless! In fact everything and I mean everything about the film (for the said first half) is absolutely meriting of a full ten stars. Our main protagonists are instantly likable, the seventies fashions are groovy, the music is super cool and the action is spot on.

    Unfortunately although the film remains superb throughout, the feel good factor that so permeates throughout the proceedings early on is all but abandoned in favour of a far more brutal approach in the second half. Don't get me wrong, this in itself isn't a bad thing, it's just that the sudden loss of all humour is sadly missed.

    On the other hand, the action (and indeed gore!) picks up a major pace at the same point as if to compensate for this subtraction. And if it's violent action that you're after then you've come to the right place because Truck Turner proves to be one hell of an adversary to the villains in this. Special mention must be made of the main villains (played by the excellent Yaphet Kotto) eventual demise which utilises an intriguing reverse POV camera shot, meticulously mimicking his staggering death throes ? great stuff!

    All in all, this is quite rightly regarded as a true blaxploitation classic. Simply awesome stuff!
  • lesleyanorton
    December 7, 2009
    lesleyanorton
    1970's blaxploitation film which earns an extra star for having the gorgeous Isaac Hayes in it as title role and leading man. Plus it may have been one of his very earliest films but already he's shining with more star power than a bucket fulof galaxies,. Plus there's a great sou... read morendtrack by the man himself. Oh, plus he only goes to bed with his girlfriend for a full ninety minutes, notwithstanding the temptations on offer from stables of whores run by the local pimps including a young Commander Uhura and a very young Yaphet Kotto, a full two decades before he gave up a life of crime to run a Homicide department,.
    If you like ths genre, check it out, it's a good one.
    .
    Oh, and did I mention Isaac Hayes was in it too?
  • fb46300067
    November 10, 2011
    fb46300067
    I got a bigger kick out of seeing half the cast of "Black Belt Jones" in this movie than the saucy one liners, like for example: "We call her Turnpike, because you gotta pay to get-on and pay to get off!"
  • mpghoul1973
    August 20, 2010
    mpghoul1973
    Truck Turner is a fast pace, bloody and rolls over political correctness. Seriously this film is awsome. The director Jonathan Kaplan really made a great competent film. The action scenes were great and for the obvious low budget he really made due. But enough about that, the bes... read moret parts of this film other than the dialogue is Scatman Crothers sporting hair and Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura of Star Trek) playing a foul mouthed pimp! Its almost shocking to hear Nichols scream, " I havnt had to sell my pussy since i was 15.'
    The score is incredible too. Better than Hayes's Shaft score!
  • kingmob6
    January 26, 2010
    kingmob6
    Just gave this what I believe was a third watch in honor of finally finding a cheap copy to purchase, it still holds up amazingly well. Great film, well worth your time.

    This was such a great flick, featuring surprisingly good cinematography (for the genre) and use of the city ... read morein the backgrounds. Isaac Hayes is terrific in the title role.

    Nice and sleazy at times, and filled with some nice action sequences.

    Recommended.

View All Truck Turner Reviews

Critic Reviews

Stan Hall
May 29, 2009
Stan Hall, Oregonian

Given his iconic bald head, gravitas-laden voice and enormous musical success, it was inevitable that someone in the blaxploitation-heavy '70s would attempt to turn the unassailably cool Isaac Hayes i... Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

January 1, 2000
Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 19, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Oz
December 16, 2002
Oz, eFilmCritic.com

Click to read the article Full Review

Philip Martin
July 29, 2002
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

May 30, 2001
AV Club

No review available.

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