Search
What's Hot
Day-by-Day Fall Schedule
Idol Winner Speaks!
Jim Parsons Comes Out
Game of Thrones Star's Sex Stare

Detroit 9000

1973, Movie, R, 108 mins

Detroit 9000: Review

DETROIT 9000
starstarstarstar
A blast from the Blaxploitation past, resurrected courtesy of Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Releasing. At the Hail Our Heroes Ball, a gala Detroit event honoring African-American achievement, Congressman Aubrey Hale Clayton (Rudy Challenger) spontaneously announces his plans to run for governor and asks for contributions. But the generous outpouring is snatched by a well-coordinated gang of thieves in ski masks and identical white coats. The heist quickly becomes a PR nightmare: Half Detroit believes it's part of a white conspiracy to keep African-Americans out of politics, the other half figures it's an inconsequential case of black-on-black crime. The men in the middle are detectives Danny Bassett (Alex Rocco) and Jesse Williams (Hari Rhodes). Bassett, who's white, is a middle-aged schlub who failed departmental politics 101 and is chained by his religious convictions to a loony wife in a state institution. Williams, who's black, is a college sports star turned mediagenic cop with a bright future. They work together reluctantly and discover that there's both more and less to the case than meets the eye. Sluggishly directed and hampered by some very clunky acting, the film does feature a better than average script and a surprisingly even-handed take on race relations in the '70s, when hyperbole was the name of the Blaxploitation game. The scene in which angry Detroiters make their unhappiness with the Detroit police force known via the radio call-in show "Buzz the Fuzz" is a hoot. The supporting cast includes Vonetta McGee as a college-educated call girl and Scatman Crothers as a venal man of the cloth. Herbert Jefferson Jr. models the pimp gear without which no Blaxploitation film is complete. "9000," by the way, is Detroit police code for "officer in trouble." leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
Are You Watching?
Detroit 9000
Loading ...
Advertisement

Our Partners

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. American Idol
  2. NCIS
  3. Big Bang Theory
  4. Voice
  5. Person of Interest
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Jessica Simpson
  2. Khloe Kardashian
  3. Kate Middleton
  4. Maria Menounos
  5. Kim Kardashian
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. What To Expect When You're Expecting
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Revenge
  2. The Big Bang Theory
  3. Modern Family
  4. Young and the Restless
  5. Gaiam Wellness
more top videos