Chikago Poker (1974)

Chikago Poker: Directed by Jonathan Kaplan. With Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto, Alan Weeks, Annazette Chase. Blaxploitation film about a former professional football player who becomes a bounty hunter in Los Angeles.

“Blaxploitation films are so frequently ridiculed and parodied (much of it with reason) these days, that itu0026#39;s easy to forget that some of them were actually pretty good. Shaft (1971) paved the way for the sub-genre with its strutting bad-ass lead whou0026#39;s a sex-machine to all the chicks, and Isaac Hayesu0026#39; Oscar-winning score (for what he will forever be best remembered for). Hayes himself steps into the lead role here as ex- American football star and bail bondsman Mac u0026#39;Trucku0026#39; Turner, who according to Yaphet Kottou0026#39;s bad-guy pimp Blue, is u0026quot;like a bulldog with eyes up his ass!u0026quot;, and displays some surprisingly charismatic qualities that makes it quite a shame he didnu0026#39;t appear in more.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGreasy lawyer Fogarty (the great Dick Miller) employs bounty-hunters u0026#39;Trucku0026#39; Turner and his partner Jerry (Alan Weeks – with the best grin in cinema) to track down a low-down pusher and pimp named Gator (Paul Harris). After an extended chase scene, Turner and Jerry manage to kill Gator, much to the dismay of Gatoru0026#39;s lady Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols – Uhura!). Dorinda rounds up the big pimps and offers her valuable collection of whores in exchange for Turneru0026#39;s head, a deal in which Blue accepts. Wanting to settle down with his girlfriend Annie (Annazette Chase), Turner finds his life turned upside when Blue employs a gang of hired killers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBeginning almost as a buddy-comedy, the witty script and some genuine chemistry serve up some amusing early scenes, showing off Hayesu0026#39; natural screen presence. But this turns into pure police procedural blaxploitation as the main plot kicks in, with jive-talk, pimps in some of the most delightfully ludicrous dress Iu0026#39;ve ever seen, car-chases, slow-motion shoot-outs, cocaine, hookers, and of course a tragically neglected soundtrack from Hayes himself. The action scenes are surprisingly good, and Corman protégé Jonathan Kaplan (director of fellow Grindhouse Project feature Night Call Nurses (1972) – review #443) makes sure he includes as much slow-motion men falling off rooftops and gushing fake blood as possible. Bloody good fun, and probably better than Shaft.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ewww.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com”