Two con-men in Philadelphia by the name of "Blue Howard" (Mel Stewart) and "White Folks" (Kiel Martin) find that they may have gone too far when they conned an older white man out of $10,000. What they didn't count on was the man having a heart attack and being the father of the local mafia godfather. Yet instead of lying low or possibly fleeing the city both Blue and Folks decide to continue in their trade. Anyway, while not necessarily as good as some of the other "blaxploitation" films of this particular time it managed to pass the time for the most part. But that's about all I can say as there really wasn't anything spectacular or memorable about it. For what it's worth though I thought Vernee Watson-Johnson (as "Cleo Howard") looked nice and probably should have been given a bit more film time. But that's just my opinion. In short, I suppose it deserves an average rating.

Trick Baby (1972) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Minor blaxploitation movie about black man "Blue" Howard (Mel Stewart) and white man "Folks" O'Brien (Kiel Martin), a couple con men who work well together because of their different race. Blue has been teaching Folks the business from an early age and both are onto a major score but soon they have a dirty cop and the mob on them. Those expecting exploitation might walk away disappointed because this film is more drama than anything else. While watching the film you might be thinking of THE STING but it's important to note that this movie did come first but don't expect the same type of quality. I think the biggest problem with this movie was the screenplay that just doesn't do enough for the actual sting. The first scam the guys pull is a pretty nice one but the main one just didn't draw my attention too much. The screenplay didn't seem to know what direction it wanted to go into and we get a couple side stories that are never really explored and this includes a female that Folks hooks up with and she pretty much becomes obsessed with him in a weird scene inside a hotel room. I'm still trying to figure out how and why she got so obsessed with him but that's just something that was never explained. Blue also has a relationship going on but it adds up to very little. What makes the film worth viewing are the two lead actors. Neither man got to play the lead too often in their careers but both take the opportunity and run with it. Most will remember Stewart as Henry Jefferson in ALL IN THE FAMILY and he turns in a wonderful performance here. I thought he was quite charming and really played that wiser old guy perfectly. Martin also turned in a very good performance and the two really do work magic together as you believe they're really intelligent enough to pull this stuff off and we believe that they know what to work with each other. The film has the unique situation of Folks being half-black but he looks so white that no one believes it. The way the race tensions are shown here are pretty interesting and added a few nice situations. TRICK BABY is one of those films that contains some very good things but at the same time you can't help but wish you had enjoyed it more.

It's a movie about two grifters one black/ one white trying to score big in the '70s around Philadelphia. It has one of the best depiction of male bonding(don't think dirty!!!). One of the best buddy movies ever made. Think Lethal Weapon made on the other side of the law with much less explosions and definitely more subtle. Even better than 48 hours. This movie was made a decade two early.When movies like Night Moves (1975) by Arthur Penn , The Long Goodbye (1973) and Straight Time (1978)by Ulu Grosbard and Dustin Hoffman were made in the '70s not that many people show them. Now that they are rediscovered people claim that they are small masterpieces. The truth is that they were made within the studio system(funded by them) and for even that decade they didn't seem to find an audience(Straight Time did make some money - according to IMDb - but comparing it with the success that other Hoffman's movies had in the seventies it is a modest one financially speaking). In each one of those three movies there was a big star: Gene Hackman, Elliot Gould and off course Dustin Hoffman.Trick Baby was also made by a big studio Universal. But it seemed destined to be a blaxploitation movie. Instead the director gave them something much more. It wasn't just a movie for black audience like Shaft , Black Caesar or any Pam Grier movie. I'm not saying that these movies were only seen by African Americans. Just that the intention of the studio was to make as much money as they could from that untapped market when they show the success of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) (how much money could be made with such a small investment). But when a movie like this came along they couldn't understand it. It didn't have a strong male lead like Melvin Van Peebles ,Fred Williamson or a sexy one like Pam Grier.******* Minor SPOILERS !!!!!!! ********************Instead they got a black middle aged bald man (with no sex appeal at all - just watch the sex scene and you'll understand) and a white dude(!!). Even more the character played by the white man was supposed to be mixed raced. Half black, half white!!! ******* ********************So you had a movie with two lead actors that none knew them (and their career since then was limited to one TV-Show for each one in the eighties), a movie with no clear message ( it didn't have the bald statements that movies like Sweet... and Shaft had ), it took place mainly in the black neighborhoods of Philadelphia and basically a movie about two hustlers trying to score big. No wonder that no one show this film. But what bothers me particularly is that no major critic had step up and spoke about this film!!! It is not just about the life of grifters. It isn't just a House of Games set in the '70s.(not that the Mamet film isn't close to a masterpiece)Larry Yust gave us a movie about the elusive American Dream. About the racial tensions of the seventies and what it is to be black. The contempt that white people(especially the upper class)had for the African Americans. The willingness that white people had to exploit everyone else just along as nobody caught them red handed. And most of all is about the black identity issue. What it was for an African American to be growing up and living in a country that didn't felt like they belong to. Trying to make ends meet even by coning someone else. If it was a white dude's money even better. But we also see the relationships withing the black community and how they relate to the whites and people of mixed racial backgrounds. Personally I think that this movie has one of the most interesting descriptions of racial relationships in the '70s. Even the best films of that golden era couldn't compare with the depiction found in this film. And most of all with such a subtle way!!!! Don't be fooled about my ranting. People are being scammed and shot. This is a genre movie. A movie about criminals trying to make money. Just not the way that Hollywood has made us used to. No explosions, no unnecessary gunfire and car chases. Just the right amount.Finally what I'm trying to say is that this is a minor masterpiece of that era. It belongs up there with the movies mentioned above. People should see this movie. If you come across a DVD. Bye it immediately!! I just hope that more people will found about this film. It is kind of depressing that film scholars and critics are always finding out hidden gems(overlooked masterpieces) from earlier decades and so long no one has step up to write about this movie. It deserves to be rediscovered.Enjoy!

An interesting, extremely well-performed little movie about a pair of Philadelphia con artists who get more than they bargain for when they cross swords with a corrupt cop and the local Mafiosi.Trick Baby begins well and builds up midway to a terrific foot-chase through the seamier side of the city. In the second half it starts to run out of steam and becomes a little predictable. Things are bogged down especially by a lengthy scene involving a preacher, who is the only character that strikes a false note. In spite of this the movie never loses one's attention completely. The cast down to the supporting players is excellent: Beverly Ballard particularly shines as a woman used and abused by slick operator White Folks (Kiel Martin) and Dallas Edward Hayes does terrific work as the ruthless and relentless cop.The use of locations is terrific, and the movie has a rawness and immediacy utterly missing from thrillers today. Minor reservations aside, Trick Baby is well worth a look – 8/10.