Detroit 9000 (1973) User Reviews

A well-made crude-fest.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 April 2011]

"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).

Fond, fond memories of Detroit 9000

[khat-datty · 7/10 · 14 August 2001]

I would leave college early everyday just to find what Detroit street they would be filming at that particular day. It was an exciting time seeing such local personalities as Dick Purtan, Woody Willis, Laura Lee, Mike Lucci of the Detroit Lions, John Nichols, and the one and only Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg. This was a great time for me and for the city of Detroit. I have a copy of this film and watch it whenever I can. A must see movie for all Detroiters. A favorite of Quinton Tarrentino.

A Little Rough Around the Edges

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 15 April 2014]

"Lieutenant Danny Bassett" (Alex Rocco) has just been handed an extremely volatile case involving some burglars who have stolen approximately $4 million in cash and jewels from a fund-raiser being hosted of a black Detroit congressman. There is no way he can win because if the suspects turn out to be black the mostly black population will think it's a cover up. If the perpetrators are white then the white population will think it's a whitewash to appease the black community. And obviously if he fails to find the culprits the public will want his head on a silver platter. To make things even worse a black police sergeant named "Jesse Williams" (Hari Rhodes) is also assigned to the case who Lt. Bassett believes will get all of the credit for apprehending the suspects instead of him. Anyway, for a "blaxploitation" film this movie wasn't too bad. While the film was a little rough around the edges I liked the selection of Detroit for the movie which was a refreshing change from the usual locations (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago). I also liked the addition of Vonetta McGee as the prostitute "Roby Harris". Again, this wasn't a bad blaxploitation film and I rate it as about average.

Aside from the dated phrases, clothes and music this could be the present.

[beachguy64 · 8 March 2000]

As a huge fan of 70's action movies, I was looking forward to seeing this, especially since it has Quentin Tarantino's endorsement. I was expecting another campy blaxploitation movie, but was very surprised that this was not the case. The film explores the politics and race relations in Detroit in the early 70's, using the repercussions of an armed robbery of a political fundraiser as a backdrop.

Aside from the funky music and 70's fashion, and to a certain extent the dialogue, this could easily be any urban area in the 90's. The media is portrayed as eager to turn this high-profile crime into a racially-motivated crime. The cops are shown as being under pressure from all sides to solve the case quickly.

As the investigation unravels, the viewer finds out that not everyone is who they seem to be. And although the end of the film is somewhat predictable, it is still entertaining.

Some of the dialogue is typical camp, and some of the acting is wooden, but the one major complaint I have with this movie is the chase scenes that are shown in immediate succession. Its almost as if the writers thought to pad the drama with some action as an afterthought. Overall, though I was very suprised by this film and the issues it attempts to address.

A wonderful finale

[HaemovoreRex · 6/10 · 1 June 2009]

Quinten Tarrantino is obviously a big fan of this movie as indicated by his re-releasing of said title on his Raging Thunder label and if there's one thing I really like about Tarrantino, it's his taste in films which I share wholeheartedly.

Having said this, whilst not implied as an insult to the film itself, this particular blaxploitation offering can hardly be described as one of the best of its ilk; indeed it seems to plod around somewhat aimlessly for most of its running time. However, don't switch off just yet for the final third does pick up incredibly well as it ties up the threads and culminates in a tremendously fun, prolonged chase sequence backed in typical seventies style by a suitable groovy track.

Final verdict: Certainly worth a look but far from the most memorable Blaxplotation flick out there.

"You're allergic to Motown."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 14 April 2014]

A white Detroit detective (Alex Rocco) has to investigate a heist at a political fundraiser and he's none too happy about it. He's even less happy when he's forced to partner up with a black detective (Hari Rhodes). Despite their differences, the two cops work well together and get to the bottom of things.

Alex Rocco and Hari Rhodes are both good. Beautiful Vonetta McGee isn't on screen nearly enough but has an important part. The minor roles are played by a variety of actors, some of whom seem like complete amateurs who recite their lines robotically. The actress playing Rocco's wife has one scene and she uses it to give a lesson on terrible acting.

Mostly straight but there are some unintentional moments of hilarity. Such as a car moving at slow speed driving into a parked car, causing both vehicles to instantly explode like they were packed with dynamite. Or an older white reporter seriously asking the Chief of Police "Do you think it was a honky caper?" There's also a scene that rips off Dirty Harry's "do you feel lucky punk" scene. The dialogue is different but the scene is too similar to be a coincidence considering Dirty Harry came out a couple years before this and that scene was an instant classic.

It's a good blaxploitation flick. I enjoyed all of the Detroit locations, including many now-demolished buildings. It's obviously a limited movie, in terms of budget, but it's still entertaining.

brothers and sisters do their stuff

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 13 September 2013]

Another entry into the blaxploitation genre, Arthur Marks's "Detroit 9000" has a black detective and a white detective cooperating to investigate the theft of some jewels from a congressman's fund raiser in the Motor City. For the most part the movie has a lot of the things that we expect to see in a blaxploitation flick, although they put an interesting twist on racial stereotypes: the black detective is the refined character while the white detective is the streetwise one. There was even a line or two that they obviously lifted from "Dirty Harry". Otherwise, it was just a fun movie with a funk soundtrack. Among the cast members are Hari Rhodes, Alex Rocco (Moe Greene in "The Godfather"), Vonetta McGee and Scatman Crothers (Dick Hallorann in "The Shining").

Detroit was long seen as the backbone of the US economy and now it's bankrupt. Geez.

Anybody can get along if they work with each other long enough.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 18 March 2022]

The great thing about blaxploitation films that makes them stand the test of time are the issues that they dealt with, not always just black issues but human issues, mainly race relations, and fairly depicting the fact that from a black point of view, not all whites were out to do them harm or keep them in their place. This film deals with such relations between two cynical Detroit cops, the white Alex Rocco and the black Hari Rhodes, investigating the sudden raid and robbery of a black political rally, and citywide corruption that starts on the streets and ends at City Hall, and has organized crime in the middle.

A very sassy screenplay has great conversations between the two leading actors, and in watching the relationship slowly progress is fascinating because it is real life. Great Detroit locations give a great rural feeling. The shootings aren't very realistic, and as the red vials of liquid explode on people's backs, it's obviously not blood color coming out. One woman is shot in the back and continues to speak like he's completely conscious and has no pain. But the overall movie is so good that these ridiculous laws are easy to forgive. Vonette McGee steps into the shoes of Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson, and is quite beautiful. Scatman Crothers as a preacher is an automatic scene-stealer. A lot of good twists along the way makes this one of the best of the classic black films of the 70's, a genre that is an artwork all of its own.

A remarkable thriller, full of action and groovy music!

[Gyroscop · 10/10 · 29 May 1999]

I saw this movie because of Quentin Tarantino's initiative to bring back classics like this to the video stores. This movie is just terrific. First of all the story is very well done and it is still original today. This is remarkable considering that this movie is 26 years old! The actors might be a little weak at times but the cool dialogs and the raw action scenes are the best ones I've ever seen. There aint no special effects here but it still is pretty spectacular. Of course, this movie is not an Hollywood super production but it still is an excellent movie that one should see at least once. The music is also fantastic, seeing those guys shoot each others and thoses cars explode with some 70's era funk music is just too entertaining.

I recommend this movie to any action or thriller movie fans. Tarantino fans might also be surprised..this movie obviously influenced Tarantino a lot. See for yourself.

Sophisticated blaxploitation, if you will.

[KingM21 · 6/10 · 2 September 2005]

Blaxploitation but sophisticated blaxploitation, if you will. Right from the bat you'll notice a little deeper characterization and more intricate plot mixed in with the jive music and bloody violence and for the most part, it works well. Some of the story does bog down the pace at times but not enough to cause any major problem. Seeing that this is one of the films released under Tarantino's Rolling Thunder company, the fact that Reservoir Dogs shares a few traits with Detroit 9000 should come as no surprise. However, Detroit 9000 took a few lines of dialogue from Dirty Harry, so I guess that's just the nature of the beast.

Pretty bad

[susansweb · 3/10 · 26 May 2003]

I noticed with some amusement that in the end credits, the Detroit PD is thanked for their participation. The Chief of Police even has one speaking line playing himself (and boy, can you tell he can't act). The reason for the amusement is that in this movie the police shoot first and ask questions later. Not the kind of PR, I would think a police force would want. Other than that, this is your standard cops and robbers film dressed up for the '70's with a racial angle. Alex Rocco is given a thankless role of a lifer cop that can't get ahead and is saddled with a mentally ill wife. He makes up for this by hanging out at the local whorehouse. Hari Rhodes is his dashing partner that has a groovy wardrobe and likes to chase after suspects while wearing a trenchcoat. The movie moves along until the penultimate shootout that makes absolutely no sense (why do people that are only guilty of a robbery, take on a whole police force?). Not only do we see one shootout but since there are four bad guys, we get to see four. Then there is a twist ending that is supposed to leave one guessing what really would have happened but only left me thinking how stupid it was. Seeing that director Arthur Marks was also behind the braindead "Friday Foster" and "Bucktown", I shouldn't have wondered.

Really good

[dworldeater · 8/10 · 6 April 2020]

Detroit 9000 is a lesser known and very underrated heist thriller that somewhat falls under the blaxsploitation genre. No matter how you want to classify this Detroit 9000 packs a punch to the gut. Very well acted with Alex Rocco and Hari Rhodes as a pair of cops working on a high profile case. The film is very gritty and shows political corruption, racism and a whole lot of violence with high powered shootouts ending with lots of carnage, blood and lead left in it's wake. The score by Luchi DeJesus is very cool and stylish giving it that funky 70's flavor and I think this was quite well acted and well made as a whole. Scatman Crothers appears in a brief but memorable role and along with lots of familiar faces that worked in films at the time gets the job done on this very tough and action packed movie. Thumbs way up on this one.

Very good, but not great action flick. **Minor Spoilers**

[wbhickok · 7/10 · 16 December 2001]

This film comes very close to being one of the great action flicks of the Seventies, but just falls a little short. The opening scene of the heist is very well done, and the shoot-out at the end was great, but a plodding middle section hurt the overall film. A Great soundtrack helps through the occasional lulls. Fans of the black films of that era will not be disappointed.

Slow, long, not much happens...

[mlepard · 2/10 · 18 June 2002]

Bought this movie in the bargain bin at Rogers Video store for $2. I enjoy a good B movie now and then and figured this looked like a good one.

The movie is quite cliche "1970's" and is quite groovy for that. Unfortunately the story line is hard to follow and not a lot happens in the movie. In fact, I turned it off after watching it for 45 minutes and figured a week later that I should watch the whole thing no matter how slow it was.

The movie has good spots in it, but you have to wait and wait and wait.......for them.

If you are into B movies, this might just be for you, just be warned that the movie is slow and not much really happens, and did I mention not much story line either...

extra crispy

[249 · 17 August 2000]

Not your typical Blaxploitation movie. I rented it because Vonetta McGee is in it but was pleasantly surprised. You should see the top tier Blaxploitaion movies (Fred,Pam,Jim,Isaac) first to appreciate this one. Definitely a sleeper.

NOT a good movie

[jimel98 · 7/10 · 6 March 2014]

In 1971, the "French Connection" was released. It had a great cast with great acting, script, photography, soundtrack (even though the music in and of itself was HORRID, it fit the film perfectly!) and in summery, was a GREAT cop movie.

In 1973 "Detroit 9000" was released. It had a decent cast with some good acting (Alex Rocco and Hari Rhodes-True Professionals!), OK script, decent photography and one seriously FUNKY soundtrack. Most of the acting was wooden, though I'm taking a guess here, many of the actors weren't really actors, as can be seen when you look up their bios here on IMDb. "Known for 'Detroit 9000'" and not much more. I'm also going out on a limb by guessing that many of the cops, especially the ones in uniform really were cops recruited to add realism and help with the budget. (Just think, they can wear their own uniforms-we don't have to BUY any!!!) A lot of the dialogue is a bit TOO over the top. I was around in 1973 and I listened to how people spoke and this was a bit much, but hey, they made you listen so I guess it was effective.

The funny thing about this movie, and many others made over the years, it's NOT a good movie, but it hits all the marks to make it a GREAT bad movie. I personally cannot put into words exactly how this happens and please keep in mind, this IS just my opinion, but this does fit that oddball category. Like "Plan 9 From Outer Space", it's bad, but it's a classic. Also sort of like "The Room" which is more current. "The Room" SUCKS, and yet is SOOOOOOO horrible, it's a classic. It lacks acting, script, photography, soundtrack...it's a train wreck, but a CLASSIC train wreck.

I seem to be rambling, but in the grand scheme of things, I enjoyed "Detroit 9000". It was never boring, more lead flew throughout this movie than at the Battle of Gettysburg and the car chases were pretty good. The twist at the end was excellent. It's Blaxploitation at it's best with a slight bit of Grindhouse thrown in for fun.

Not a good movie, but they don't have to be to entertain, and this does.

Funky music, gunfights, and plenty of fake looking blood

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 2 January 2006]

Unlike many of the other movies of its ilk, Detroit 9000 has a much more serious tone. It's more akin to something like Across 110th Street than it is to Foxy Brown. As serious as it may be, there's still a lot of fun to be had – funky music, gunfights, and plenty of fake looking blood. For the most part, it's a fast faced, enjoyable, gritty look at crime in Detroit in the 70s.

But the movie isn't without its problems. Chief among them is the lead detective played by Alex Rocco. I enjoy watching an actor who makes you forget they are an actor and you really start to believe in their character. No such luck with Rocco in Detroit 9000. I never bought his down-on-his-luck, good-cop routine. To me, he was nothing more than someone reciting lines. And the whole subplot about his wife in the asylum added nothing to the film other than to slow things down to a crawl.

A solid addition to the blaxploitation genre

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 9 November 2023]

I recently watched Detroit 9000 (1973) on Tubi. The storyline unfolds in Detroit during a period of civil unrest between African Americans and white police officers. When a Black fundraiser is robbed by white criminals, the threat of riots and the city tearing apart looms. In response, the police department assigns their best white and black officers to work together and bring the culprits to justice.

Directed by Arthur Marks (Friday Foster), the movie stars Alex Rocco (The Godfather), Hari Rhodes (Conquest of the Planet of the Apes), Vonetta McGee (Repo Man), Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Knight Rider) and Scatman Crothers (The Shining).

This movie is a blast in every aspect. The jive, attire, background music, and cars perfectly capture the movie's vibe. The ladies are stunning, and the portrayal of police collaboration with the underground to uncover clues adds a fun element. The action scenes, particularly the shootouts, are impressive. The cemetery final shootout and the resolution are highlights. Surprisingly, even the acting holds up well, a rarity in this genre.

In conclusion, Detroit 9000 is a solid addition to the blaxploitation genre that I would rate a 7/10 and strongly recommend.

Top-Notch Blaxploitation

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 13 March 2015]

After a fundraiser for a black politician is robbed, Detroit police put two detectives, one white (Alex Rocco) and one black (Hari Rhodes), on the case, who try to work together under boiling political pressure.

Although Orville H. Hampton worked mostly in lower budget films, he actually had an Oscar nomination under his belt by the time he wrote this script. Hampton had written the now-forgotten "One Potato, Two Potato" (1964). Marks was responsible for bringing in Rocco, who he had worked with on "Bonnie's Kids". Although he plays a policeman here, Rocco had actually grown up among Boston's Winter Hill Gang.

Hari Rhodes is a perfect choice for the role here. In a film about racial politics, he is more knowledgeable than most. While any person of color has experienced racism at some point, Rhodes literally wrote the book on it: "A Chosen Few", which was published in 1965.

Scatman Crothers is a pleasant surprise, even if his role is not as large as it could be. And the idea of "Buzz the Fuzz" is awfully clever, perhaps something more big cities ought to think about. This film shows the racial politics between police and the black community, and this certainly has not changed in the forty years since this film debuted. If anything, it is something we are even more acutely aware of now.

hip, well-acted and slam-bang action/police flick in the guise of blaxploitation

[Quinoa1984 · 8/10 · 10 August 2008]

Arthur Marks somehow knew how to do it: combining the tough and thoughtful police-thriller with a seeming exploitation (or blaxploitation) flick into something worthwhile. It may not be for some; matter of fact, from all I can tell looking at various reviews it's made little of an impression aside from negative. But I was drawn into this seedy, multi-racial tale of dirty criminals and (some) dirty cops and a dirty politician because of the simple strengths of the acting and (most of) the writing, not to mention an explosive climax and a nifty opening heist scene. It's even more than nifty; Marks somehow has the cojones to make a poignant moment in this scene, as well as a couple of other times in the film (i.e. Ruby dying in Jessie's arms), where the singer who's doing a number gets cut-off by the tape recording telling everyone to get down and fork over the cash and jewels... and she just goes on singing, and a song sung with a mournful voice.

The nuts and the bolts of the plot are that in Detroit, where according to officer/athlete Jessie Williams (Hari Rhodes) his new partner Danny Bassett (Alex Rocco) is in the minority in the black-dominant area, a heist has taken place during a fund-raiser for an up-and-coming politician (perfectly one-note Rudy Challenger), and there's already tension: is it an all-black gang, or all-white? Can there be a crack when those the cops find immediately shoot back and end up shot dead? It all leads down to a pimp and his girl, or so it's thought, and not everything is what it seems with tough/smart cop Bassett, yada yada. Describing a lot of the plot isn't necessary, as much of the interest in Detroit 9000 are in scenes of pure attitude, of this time and place in this city a microcosm of racial strife and unrest. If anything it's not even a blaxploitation movie, per say, but something of a black pride movie in a strange way. And there's at the least some equality: the gang is found to be multi-racial, including a dead) Indian from Canada!

There are ways this movie can get cheesy or stuck in its 1973 time-frame, and of course the clothes, the slang, and the soundtrack all speak to that. But I enjoyed how Hampton's screenplay struck a line between giving many of these characters, including supporting ones like Ruby Harris and Ferby some personality past their stock characters, or how the wit creeps up as really unexpected (the line Clayton's "assistant" gives to a prostitute is so classic QT lifted it for Jackie Brown). And Rhodes and Rocco, otherwise usually relegated to supporting and character-actor parts in other movies, get to show what their made of as cops on a dirty case that just gets dirtier. Lastly, without sacrificing some sophistication in the writing or a refreshingly bittersweet ending, Marks tops it all off with that big chase going six or seven ways across the railroad tracks and fields and cemeteries of *really* gritty parts of Detroit and put to a raucous, spot-on soundtrack.

In a word (and I can almost hear a James Lipton voice saying this as I type this): under-rated.

Detroit 9000 (1973)

[jonahstewartvaughan · 7/10 · 9 June 2023]

Cult Cuts Volume 23 (Tarantino Edition)

#4/4: Detroit 9000 (1973)

(7/10): Sorry for slacking somewhat. Anyways Detroit 9000 is a Blaxploitation film that is also apparently a Ripoff.

The story follows a meeting of Black folks in the city of Detroit where they are gathering money for the new Black Minister but they are then robbed of all their donations by a group of people who are pretty good at covering their tracks.

A White and Black Officer are both assigned to the case and have to work together in spite of the white officers reluctance to cooperate as they don't have much time to solve the case.

It's a simple setup, I guess I need to see more blaxploitation and soul cinema to see what it claims to be a ripoff of, but on it's own it's pretty solid.

The acting is pretty good, music is great but I have come to expect that from these kinds of films as they are quite soul driven and always feature music that is performed live.

The film seems like it might overstay its welcome a little bit but it then threw another twist at me to justify its additional length.

The costumes are pretty fantastic, in fact the production value is surprisingly pretty good, but I had no idea whether or not it was a studio film or independent film but either way production value is very good.

I do like how the ending also leaves a bit of ambiguity as to what exactly the white cops intentions were.

Overall it's pretty good but I do still think it could've maybe had some trimming of at least ten minutes, even with the twists it throws.

A solid and exciting 70's exploitation crime winner

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 17 September 2007]

A brazen band of no-count thieves rob roughly $400,000 in money and valuable merchandise from a political fund-raiser being held by ambitious black congressman Aubrey Clayton (a perfectly smarmy Rudy Challenger). It's up to suave black Sargeant Jesse Williams (the super smooth Hari Rhodes) and slobby, cynical white Lieutenant Daniel Bassett (a fine performance by the ever-funny and engaging Alex Rocco; Moe Greene in "The Godfather") to get to the bottom of things before the whole city erupts into chaos and racial violence.

Director Arthur ("Bucktown") Marks keeps the pace speeding along at a steady breakneck clip and stages the thrilling action scenes with considerable rip-snorting brio, further enhancing this already fun and entertaining crime caper picture with amusing amounts of his trademark dark humor (my two all-time favorite moments are when hooker Vonetta McGee complains to her pimp that a john treated her like a piece of meat and the positively gut-busting scene where a hoodlum exclaims "Mother*beep*er!" after taking a fatal bullet to the chest). The uneasy give-and-take relationship between Williams and Bassett adds greatly to the tension, leading to a wonderfully ambiguous and genuinely startling climax that packs a substantial punch because of its marvelously up-in-the-air moral ambivalence and uncertainty. This isn't your garden variety simplistic cops and robbers yarn where there's a fine line between the good guys and the bad guys. Instead almost everyone in this movie is either on the make or on the take, creating a stark and brutal world where morals are decidedly gray at best and such sterling virtues as honor, honesty and loyalty are hard to come by. It's the powerfully vivid way Marks depicts this sense of pervasive corruption which in turn makes "Detroit 9000" a superior crime thriller. Luchi DeJesus supplies a fine, funky-throbbing score while Harry May's rough cinematography gives the film an appropriately raw and gritty look. Popping up in nifty bit parts are the ubiquitous Bob Minor as a cop-killing criminal, Marilyn Joi as a prostitute dancing in a bordello, and the great Scatman Crothers in an especially lively cameo as a fiery hell-and-brimstone bible-banging priest. A real solid and satisfying little winner.

Slow and Boring

[thecrimsonghost2003 · 24 November 2003]

Of all the blaxpoitation films I have seen, this is one of the worst. There was no real redeeming quality to this movie. The shoot em' up scenes were lame. The music was repetitive. When the movie ended I couldn't have been more happy.