Detroit 9000

Quinten Tarrantino is obviously a big fan of this movie as indicated by his re-releasing of said title on his Raging Thunder label and if there's one thing I really like about Tarrantino, it's his taste in films which I share wholeheartedly.

Having said this, whilst not implied as an insult to the film itself, this particular blaxploitation offering can hardly be described as one of the best of its ilk; indeed it seems to plod around somewhat aimlessly for most of its running time. However, don't switch off just yet for the final third does pick up incredibly well as it ties up the threads and culminates in a tremendously fun, prolonged chase sequence backed in typical seventies style by a suitable groovy track.

Final verdict: Certainly worth a look but far from the most memorable Blaxplotation flick out there.

I saw this movie because of Quentin Tarantino's initiative to bring back classics like this to the video stores. This movie is just terrific. First of all the story is very well done and it is still original today. This is remarkable considering that this movie is 26 years old! The actors might be a little weak at times but the cool dialogs and the raw action scenes are the best ones I've ever seen. There aint no special effects here but it still is pretty spectacular. Of course, this movie is not an Hollywood super production but it still is an excellent movie that one should see at least once. The music is also fantastic, seeing those guys shoot each others and thoses cars explode with some 70's era funk music is just too entertaining.

I recommend this movie to any action or thriller movie fans. Tarantino fans might also be surprised..this movie obviously influenced Tarantino a lot. See for yourself.

A white Detroit detective (Alex Rocco) has to investigate a heist at a political fundraiser and he's none too happy about it. He's even less happy when he's forced to partner up with a black detective (Hari Rhodes). Despite their differences, the two cops work well together and get to the bottom of things.

Alex Rocco and Hari Rhodes are both good. Beautiful Vonetta McGee isn't on screen nearly enough but has an important part. The minor roles are played by a variety of actors, some of whom seem like complete amateurs who recite their lines robotically. The actress playing Rocco's wife has one scene and she uses it to give a lesson on terrible acting.

Mostly straight but there are some unintentional moments of hilarity. Such as a car moving at slow speed driving into a parked car, causing both vehicles to instantly explode like they were packed with dynamite. Or an older white reporter seriously asking the Chief of Police "Do you think it was a honky caper?" There's also a scene that rips off Dirty Harry's "do you feel lucky punk" scene. The dialogue is different but the scene is too similar to be a coincidence considering Dirty Harry came out a couple years before this and that scene was an instant classic.

It's a good blaxploitation flick. I enjoyed all of the Detroit locations, including many now-demolished buildings. It's obviously a limited movie, in terms of budget, but it's still entertaining.

I would leave college early everyday just to find what Detroit street they would be filming at that particular day. It was an exciting time seeing such local personalities as Dick Purtan, Woody Willis, Laura Lee, Mike Lucci of the Detroit Lions, John Nichols, and the one and only Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg. This was a great time for me and for the city of Detroit. I have a copy of this film and watch it whenever I can. A must see movie for all Detroiters. A favorite of Quinton Tarrentino.

Another entry into the blaxploitation genre, Arthur Marks's "Detroit 9000" has a black detective and a white detective cooperating to investigate the theft of some jewels from a congressman's fund raiser in the Motor City. For the most part the movie has a lot of the things that we expect to see in a blaxploitation flick, although they put an interesting twist on racial stereotypes: the black detective is the refined character while the white detective is the streetwise one. There was even a line or two that they obviously lifted from "Dirty Harry". Otherwise, it was just a fun movie with a funk soundtrack. Among the cast members are Hari Rhodes, Alex Rocco (Moe Greene in "The Godfather"), Vonetta McGee and Scatman Crothers (Dick Hallorann in "The Shining").

Detroit was long seen as the backbone of the US economy and now it's bankrupt. Geez.