Quentin Tarentino does it again. Sure he’s an arrogant and irritating filmmaker, but the guy knows his exploitation films. He watched them for years and he learned from them. And with his Rolling Thunder distribution group, he continues to package these rare gems for theatrical and home video showings with films like MIGHTY PEKING MAN, SWITCHBLADE SISTERS, and THE BEYOND (a wild combination to be sure). Now Tarentino tackles DETROIT 9000, a film that was originally released in 1973 amidst the burgeoning blaxploitation spearheaded by the success of SHAFT and SUPERFLY. Except for those two superior entries, most blaxploitation films were perceived as racist trash. The genre was quickly forgotten about in the Cosbified 1980s, and made a comeback of sorts in the 1990s (in the guise of movies like MENACE II SOCIETY and DEAD PRESIDENTS). DETROIT 9000 is directed by blaxploitation magnate Arthur Marks, the man responsible for such films as FRIDAY FOSTER and J.D.’S REVENGE. In 2000, Tarentino released DETROIT 9000 on DVD after a brief theatrical showing the year before.

Reverend Markham (Scatman Crothers) hosts a political fund raising rally, in honor of Aubrey Clayton (Rudy Challenger), the first black man to run for Governor of Michigan. The ball is attended by some of the richest folks in Detroit. While Clayton is appealing to his people for political contributions, a group of masked men make their way into the function hall, brandishing Luger pistols and CAR-15s. The ball turns into one giant orgy of theft, and the culprits flee taking the money and jewelry of Detroit’s social elite with them. This act outrages Clayton, who holds quite a bit of political power in the city of Detroit. He pressures the police department to resolve the case quickly and efficiently.

The robbery quickly becomes a heated debate in the city of Detroit. One faction of the residents believe its all part of a white conspiracy to keep black politicians out of politics. The other faction thinks its an inconsequential case of black on black crime, that the police are purposely overlooking. Because of the racially sensitive nature of the heist, the Police Chief assigns the case to the racially blended duo of Sergeant Jesse Williams (Hari Rhodes) and Lieutenant Dan Bassett (Alex Rocco). Jesse is a squeaky clean, media-friendly version of John Shaft. Dan is a gruff, middle-aged man who keeps his racist wife locked up in an insane asylum, and frequents the high-priced whorehouses of Detroit. Together they tackle the case with very few leads.

Investigating a lead at the whorehouse that Dan visits, a prostitute named Ruby (Vonetta McGee) overhears Jesse and Dan interrogating the Madame. She avoids Jesse, because they used to be a couple when they were younger, and she doesn’t want him to know that she is a prostitute. She calls up her pimp, Ferdy (Herb Jefferson Jr.), who has connections with the thieves behind the heist. The flamboyantly attired Ferdy (what’s a blaxploitation picture without a pimpdaddy?) is on the outs with the criminals Jesse and Dan are searching for, so Ferdy advises Ruby to turn him and herself in, so they’ll receive protective custody. The gang of thieves are aware that Ferdy and Ruby know who they are, and so they try to kill the pimp and his prostitute. Ruby can’t go to police because she doesn’t want Jefferson to know what she does for a living. Ferdy ends up calling the police and tips off Jesse and Dan about Ruby being targeted by the gang of thieves. Jesse and Dan head to her house, but they arrive to late—when they enter her apartment they find her near death from a bullet wound. In her final moments, she tells Jesse everything she knows about the culprits and where to find them. Jesse is pissed, naturally, and assembles a huge police strike force to assault the headquarters of the criminals. But, the thieves know that the police are on their way, so the stage is set for the climatic confrontation!

Department politics, racial tension, and the power of the media to distort the facts, are reoccurring themes of DETROIT 9000. The plot sets up some internal conflicts like cops vs. crooks, cops vs. their superiors, and cops vs. the media. Then considering the extreme nature of the conflicts it portrays, the film never takes a side on the issues. Compared to other blaxploitation films, DETROIT 9000 compromises its perspective to appeal to both black and white audiences. And because of this, the film probably alienated both. But the real reason to see DETROIT 9000 is not in how it handles these issues, but for it’s energy and imagination. For instance, one great scene features a community TV show called "Buzz the Fuzz" in which angry citizens can call in and admonish the police force! The final confrontation between the police force and the gang of thieves is elaborately conceived and executed. These scenes include wild car chases that harken back to SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT or THE BLUES BROTHERS.

DETROIT 9000 lacks the polish and visual flair of it’s inspiration like SHAFT and SUPERFLY. But considering it’s low budget origins, dated dialog, and questionable acting, it is a very balanced and smart film. The first half of DETROIT 9000 is set up like a TV movie, the last half develops into something more complex and original. The motives from all the players are questioned; from the politicians, to the pimps and hos, and even the lead characters. One interesting aspect of the film is that it clearly belongs to the blaxploitation genre, but the narrative centers around the white Alex Rocco, who delivers a truly entertaining performance as a pitiable old cop. Hari (COMA) Rhodes is also good as his partner, a nice guy/bad ass cop who also happens to be a former football player. Director Arthur marks perfectly captures the sleazy feel of the steel city. He maximizes location shooting for the many chase scenes, and you have to wonder how he filmed the urban scenes as good as he did without cordoning off the entire city.

The script is full of vigor but at times it’s completely nonsensical. And despite some heavy themes, Arthur Marks knows how to lay down the cheese. Whether it’s the embarrassing dialog, the garishly loud fashions, or the gravity defying afros, there is plenty to laugh at here (of course, things probably did not seem as cheesy or laughable back in the day). Many of the supporting members of the cast (and probably actual Detroit natives) turn in some clunky performances that hurt the integrity of DETROIT 2000. There is plenty of gun fights in the picture, but when someone gets hit with the bullet, the squibs clearly resemble red paint balls. The film is also hampered by choppy editing and poor attempts to engage the audience during chase scenes by placing the camera on horseback or on the hood of a car.

There is not a single relevant extra related to DETROIT 9000, not even the original trailer. After the feature packed release of Rolling Thunder’s previous DVD, SWITCHBLADE SISTERS, this comes as a huge disappointment. There are trailers for other Rolling Thunder/Miramax/Dimension titles though, such as:

• A Rolling Thunder compilation trailer featuring brief cenes from all their releases and comments by Tarentino
• MIGHTY PEKING MAN
• PULP FICTION
• JACKIE BROWN
• FROM DUSK TIL DAWN (all 3 films)
• The SCREAM trilogy DVD box set commercial

- Phil Chandler

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