Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Detroit 9000 (1974)

Detroit 9000
Director: Arthur Marks


Detroit 9000

Detroit 9000 is an American cult film directed by Arthur Marks The movie was shot on location in downtown Detroit and closed-in neighborhoods. This snappy, cynical cop thriller was marketed as a "blaxploitation" film when released in 1974. It speaks on the racially charged issues of 1970s in Detroit. Alex Rocco stars as a veteran detective on the Detroit police force, a sinus-infected loner who's bitter from constantly being passed over for promotion. Assigned to a political powder keg--the high-profile heist of a black anal candidate's big money fundraiser--he's paired up with an educated, smart-dressing black hotshot (Hari Rhodes), a fast-rising star in the department. These guys are no compriosn to Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon and they may earn a grudging mutual respect but never really like or trust one another. The climactic 25-minute chase is edgy and lean and very violent, spiced with big bloody gunshot wounds and victims writhing in tortured death spasms, and the film concludes on an unusually satisfying note of ambiguity and cynicism. The title, by the way, refers to the police code for "officer in trouble." Overall, the movie was very good and worth seeing again. I loved how the camera captured the emotions of the characters as well as the scenes showing characters being shot. Thankfully  the use of blood in movies is more realistic than when used in the 70s.  

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