Detroit 9000 (1973)
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Directed by Arthur Marks
Starring: Alex Rocco, Hari Rhodes, Vonetta McGee IMDB Rating: 6 The holy trinity of what would later be dubbed Blacksploitation film are surely Melvin Van Peebles’ Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasss Song (’71), Gordon Parks, Sr’s Shaft (’71) and Gordon Parks, Jr’s Super Fly (’72). Not only did they create the template for the sub-genre, but even their main characters portrayed what would become its bedrock, a sex worker, a private detective and a street hustler/drug dealer. In each, there was a pulsing and layered soundtrack, a depiction of urban neglect and decay and an overwhelming sense of isolation within that decay. The protagonists were pitted against a ruthless and unscrupulous white society, whether in the form of the police, mobsters or drug dealers. What many historians would point to in these three films, however, was the determination of protagonists Sweetback, John Shaft and Youngblood Priest, to survive through not only a desire to win, but of a righteous belief in what they were doing. Later films that were ultimately condemned by the NAACP and other African American organizations and press either lost that undercurrent or outright parodied the tenants that made the sub-genre initially captivating and now leaves it somewhat problematic.
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Detroit 9000 was released right on the cusp of that turn, during the summer of 1973. By that time classic films with more problematic depictions of racial stereotypes, created in part when white directors and producers started making the majority of “black exploitation” pictures, were becoming the norm. Roger Corman’s American Pictures International, a long-time maker of exploitation films of all kinds, had recognized the low cost, high revenue potential in making and marketing films for and to African Americans and had produced Blacula and Slaughter in 1972. By 1973 API produced, all with white directors, Black Mama, White Mama, Black Caesar, and Coffy.
Detroit 9000, while generally following the newly established grind house production methods, was a different animal altogether. Shot entirely in Detroit, with white and black co-stars, Detroit 9000 would create a different mold that would later be utilized by the Lethal Weapon series (’87-’16), Training Day (‘01), 48 Hours (’82) , Men in Black (’97) and in an interesting twist, Rush Hour (’98). While not quite buddies, the characters played by Alex Rocco and Hari Rhodes, flip stereotypes as the street-smart white cop dispenses with a prying press, while the black detective, college educated and almost too good to be true, has to navigate the streets to solve the robbery of a local politician. That the white detective is played by Alex Rocco, fresh off having been shot through his eyeglasses at the conclusion of The Godfather the year earlier, only adds to the intriguing nature of the character.
Detroit 9000, while generally following the newly established grind house production methods, was a different animal altogether. Shot entirely in Detroit, with white and black co-stars, Detroit 9000 would create a different mold that would later be utilized by the Lethal Weapon series (’87-’16), Training Day (‘01), 48 Hours (’82) , Men in Black (’97) and in an interesting twist, Rush Hour (’98). While not quite buddies, the characters played by Alex Rocco and Hari Rhodes, flip stereotypes as the street-smart white cop dispenses with a prying press, while the black detective, college educated and almost too good to be true, has to navigate the streets to solve the robbery of a local politician. That the white detective is played by Alex Rocco, fresh off having been shot through his eyeglasses at the conclusion of The Godfather the year earlier, only adds to the intriguing nature of the character.
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Locally, Detroit 9000 was a divisive movie when it was first released in 1973. Derided by many Detroiters, including mayor Roman Gibbs, as exploiting the city’s crime and racial issues, the film was also lauded as the first feature film ever shot in the city. What it did represent, however, were parts of Detroit, including the Book Cadillac Hotel, The J.L. Hudson building, and the Fort Street Terminal, that no longer stand or have been significantly remodeled. In that respect, Detroit 9000 is a time capsule of Detroit circa 1973. When director Quentin Tarantino re-released the film both theatrically and on video in 1998, calling the film a lost classic, a new generation of film fans were able to enjoy the film, recapture some of the early ‘70’s vibe of the city and discover a lost piece of the blacksploitation sub-genre.
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