"Detroit 9000" reminded me a lot of "Dirty Harry"--mostly because the star, Alex Rocco, has little time to be pleasant to his superiors--he's just a good and tough cop who wants to do his job. The other star, Hari Rhodes, isn't exactly a saint either! The big difference, however, is that "Detroit 9000" is a MUCH earthier film--with lots of cursing, racial epithets and stuff parents probably do NOT want their kids seeing. Of course, it wasn't like "Dirty Harry" was a family film, either!
The film begins at a big fund-raising affair where lots of black community members are in attendance. A group of robbers break up the party and take a fortune. But, interestingly enough, these guys were real pros and they haven't got anything to work on--even the races of the crooks. When the case is given to the Lieutenant (Rocco), he quickly sees that he's pretty much screwed--and is quick to tell his boss! That Rocco isn't a man known for his tact! Following this, he begins following down leads--leads that lead him to a brothel, a brief lesbian sex scene, a crooked black politician and even abortion doctor! As I said, this IS an earthy film!
So is the film worth seeing? Well, if you are looking for a blaxsploitation film, perhaps not. While it has some elements of blaxsploitation, it's really more of a cop story that happens to be in Detroit--and the good guys (relatively speaking) are cops. If you are looking for a family film or one to show your mother, DEFINITELY not. But, if you can get past all the nastiness (and there is a lot), the film is exciting, bloody and interesting--and the acting is pretty good from these second and third-tier actors. I also thought the movie was a bit of a surprise because I always thought Detroit was a lot less safe than it was in this movie!
By the way, one scene from the film seems like it was lifted from "Dirty Harry" (1971). When the cop shoots a suspect with a gun, he tells the bleeding guy "Go for it, you #^$&%@... Go on maybe I haven't got the guts to kill you...". And the way it was set up was so similar to Dirty Harry's confrontation with the bank robber.
Also, at the minute mark, watch the prostitute get in a cab and the cab is a DIFFERENT cab when she gets out (note the bumpers, among other differences).
The film begins at a big fund-raising affair where lots of black community members are in attendance. A group of robbers break up the party and take a fortune. But, interestingly enough, these guys were real pros and they haven't got anything to work on--even the races of the crooks. When the case is given to the Lieutenant (Rocco), he quickly sees that he's pretty much screwed--and is quick to tell his boss! That Rocco isn't a man known for his tact! Following this, he begins following down leads--leads that lead him to a brothel, a brief lesbian sex scene, a crooked black politician and even abortion doctor! As I said, this IS an earthy film!
So is the film worth seeing? Well, if you are looking for a blaxsploitation film, perhaps not. While it has some elements of blaxsploitation, it's really more of a cop story that happens to be in Detroit--and the good guys (relatively speaking) are cops. If you are looking for a family film or one to show your mother, DEFINITELY not. But, if you can get past all the nastiness (and there is a lot), the film is exciting, bloody and interesting--and the acting is pretty good from these second and third-tier actors. I also thought the movie was a bit of a surprise because I always thought Detroit was a lot less safe than it was in this movie!
By the way, one scene from the film seems like it was lifted from "Dirty Harry" (1971). When the cop shoots a suspect with a gun, he tells the bleeding guy "Go for it, you #^$&%@... Go on maybe I haven't got the guts to kill you...". And the way it was set up was so similar to Dirty Harry's confrontation with the bank robber.
Also, at the minute mark, watch the prostitute get in a cab and the cab is a DIFFERENT cab when she gets out (note the bumpers, among other differences).