Having performed the theme song for blaxploitation classic Shaft (1971), soul singer Isaac Hayes got to be the star of his own funky black action flick, appearing as Mac 'Truck' Turner, an ex-football star turned bounty hunter who becomes the target of hired hit men after killing vicious pimp Richard Leroy 'Gator' Johnson (Paul Harris) during a shootout.Although Hayes isn't in the same league as blaxploitation legends Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson or Jim Kelly, his acting leaving quite a lot to be desired, he acquits himself well enough in the lively action scenes, of which there are plenty. Truck Turner delivers car chases, fist-fights and shootouts aplenty, with the film getting more and more bloody as it progresses, every bullet wound spurting bright red. The film also benefits from an unforgettable turn from Nichelle 'Lt. Uhura' Nichols as foul-mouthed bitch Dorinda, the woman who wants Truck dead: she couldn't be more unlike her wholesome Star Trek character if she tried.Other moments that guarantee a good time for fans of the genre include a wild-eyed topless woman attacking Truck's partner Jerry (Alan Weeks) with a knife, Gator's burial (you ain't lived until you've seen a funeral where all the guests are pimps and hos), Dorinda's hilarious sales pitch for her whores ("We call her Turnpike, cuz you gotta pay to get on and pay to get off!"), Jerry getting blasted to bits by the hired killers, a wonderfully violent gun-fight in a hospital, and the agonising death scene of pimp Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto), who deserves everything he gets for using a child as a human shield.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for Scatman 'Kick the Can' Crothers sporting a silky white shirt and cult actor Dick Miller wearing a salmon pink jacket. Nice duds, guys!

Late in the film, Isaac Hayes shows his sensitive side, buying his girlfriend a kitten. Up to that point Hayes and his nemesis, Yaphet Kotto have been shooting up a hospital. This is a very fast moving Blaxploitation classic, featuring plenty of action. There is ghetto talk , classic pimp mobiles, knife wielding "hoes", and a pimps funeral that is just fantastic. What makes the film work, is Isaac Hayes as a very likable hero, with a surprise appearance by Dick Miller as a desperate bail bondsman another plus. If you are looking for ghetto stereotypes on parade, "Isaac Hayes is Truck Turner" will not disappoint. Recommended of it's type. - MERK

The first ever Blaxploitation Film i saw was Shaft and I was hooked but I have to say that i thought a lot of these films were extremely tacky, even for my tastes. Truck Turner is one of those low budget features that breaks the mold and solidifies the codes and conventions of Blaxploitation Cinema as something we can easily recognise and relate to.A fan of '70's film, I thought that Truck Turner was an exceptional piece of film that entertains on so many levels. Its seventies chauvinism, racism, indifference to politics and crude violence is what so many politically correct crime/action films lack today and there is no shortage of style; no matter how absurd it gets.One moment the comedy is flying thick and fast and suddenly there is gunfire and bloodshed, epic car chases and barroom brawls. With Isaac Hayes providing the soundtrack himself, what you get is a simply cool action film that is not afraid to speak its mind and make the most out of a very basic plot.I'd even go so far as to call it original for its time!

Isaac Hayes is Truck Turner, a skip tracer. He, and his partner Jerry (Alan Weeks) go after a sleazy pimp and end up killing him. Now, the pimp's babe (Nichelle Nichols - Star Trek) is after Truck. She's offering half her $250,000 annual income from her girls. Hey, it's the early 70s. That's a lot of money! Like all blaxploitation with pimps, this one has some fantastic outfits on both men and women - some really bitchin cars, too.Yaphet Kotto is the biggest pimp out to get truck. You can expect a lot of shooting before this is settled.Kotto should have been given an Academy Award for his death scene. :-)