Cast:
Robert Hooks (Mr. T), Paul Winfield ("Chalky" Price), Ralph Waite (Pete Cockrell), William Smithers (Captain Joe Marx), Paula Kelly (Cleo), Julius Harris ("Big"), Bill Henderson (Jimmy), Wayne Storm (Frank), Akili Jones (Billy Chi), and Vince Howard (Preston) Directed by Ivan Dixon (#1804 - The Spook Who Sat by the Door)
Review:
Admittedly, I should have covered this film by Ivan Dixon before I did his most famous one in The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973), which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this September. As mentioned earlier, Dixon became a director in 1970 after a handful of acting roles, with the most famous role being Nothing But a Man (1964). He had graduated with a degree in drama from North Carolina Central University in 1954 (the theater troupe of the historically black college now bears Dixon's name). He also studied drama at Case Western Reserve University and the American Theatre Wing before he had gotten into acting. It was his five years on the sitcom Hogan's Heroes where he honed his interest of directing, doing so by asking questions about the process of directing and editing when on set due to not having time for film school. The movie was written by John D. F. Black (who had co-wrote the 1971 adaptation of Shaft with Ernest Tidyman), who also served as co-producer with Joel Freeman. The movie was released by 20th Century Fox, albeit with a cheap budget. This was the first major film role for Hooks, who had a few supporting roles in previous films such as Hurry Sundown (1967) along with a regular role in the TV series N.Y.P.D (1967-69); he was also the co-founder of the Negro Ensemble Company. The music was done by famed singer Marvin Gaye in his one and only soundtrack.
The movie was not a major hit upon release, but I would argue that it deserved better than just being thought of as being in the shadow of Shaft (I kid you not, there was a book written by alleged film writers that called this one of the worst films of all time in 1978 - I say "alleged" because it is clearly obvious how times have changed with taste). Both films featured cool lead characters - one that is "hip" and the other being a benefactor to the community. Shaft had a cool leather suit, and T drives a Lincoln Continental. Shaft just happened to strike the perfect note for the perfect moment that even its sequels couldn't reach, but Trouble Man is dedicated to being a hardboiled adventure and mostly succeeds in that goal. For all the naysayers that came with films in the so-called "blaxploitation" genre, film viewers know one thing: cool movies come in all shapes and sizes, and Hooks for an unflappable pillar of coolness. If it wasn't meant to be replicated with sequels, Hooks sure gave his all in terms of steely charm that is both detective and fixer of the best type, one who isn't merely a "West Coast" Shaft, but instead a man with distinctions and timing that we are always curious through and through. Both of the adversaries gained notice for feature roles in media besides this film: Waite starred in The Waltons, which premiered on television a couple of months before this film while Winfield gained an Academy Award nomination for Sounder, which premiered the same year as this film. At any rate, they make for capable natural foils to Hooks, conniving without becoming cardboard, while Harris provides the necessary "big bad" energy when required. Jones provides a bit of energy to counter Hooks, while Smithers makes a quality authority foil. The best crime thrillers come from how convincing they seem in actually wanting to show something interesting on screen, and I believe this fits most of the steps needed worth checking out for 99 minutes. Under looked for the time, Trouble Man is a feature with plenty to offer for those looking for a mostly-developed crime thriller with a worthy lead actor and style to go along with it.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
Next up: Sounder.
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