DETROIT 9000

Resurrecting a dinosaur from the 1970s blaxploitation genre, Miramax, under the subdivision Rolling Thunder, re-releases the seldom seen DETROIT 9000. Complete with 1970s funk music, goofy clothing, lots of police, and sexually aggressive women, this movie keeps its head above the worst of the genre, but really only serves as a foundational reference to today’s Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino movies.

In the early 1970s, Detroit is ultra-sensitive to racial unrest, where all white on black crime is seen as racially motivated. Congressman Aubrey Hale Clayton (Rudy Challenger) announces himself as Michigan’s first black Gubernatorial Candidate during an elegant event at the Sheraton Cadillac Hotel. In the background a gospel singer croons, “Touch Me Jesus.” As the patrons pull out their wallets to give money to Mr. Clayton’s campaign, masked thugs converge and perform $400,000 worth of armed robbery. A voice over the P.A. says, “Kneel down, put your hands behind your head, and if you want to say a prayer, feel free.” Meanwhile, the singer sings a prayer softly. Clayton’s moment is ruined, and he wants answers. He believes the robbery was engineered by whites for the purpose of derailing his campaign, and so the investigation begins.

Lt. Danny Bassett (Alex Rocco) is a white cop who has never gotten his big break despite his fine police work. He thinks this assignment is a no-win situation. So, the chief assigns him a partner, Sgt. Jesse Williams (Hari Rhodes), a black homicide cop who is smart, sophisticated and likes to make it with his girlfriend. Faced with the pressure of a racially divided city and an over-anxious police chief looking for a quick arrest, Bassett and Williams explore prostitution rings, secret waterfront locations, dilapidated churches, and a cemetery to bring the crime to a close, with of course lots of chases and shoot-outs.

Despite the Christian content, this movie is not redemptive. Hale Clayton is revealed for a lecherous crook, and even a policeman proves to be a dubious character. Throughout, the investigation goes through Detroit’s seedier and seamier attractions. Finally, at the end a bloody exchange of bullets resolves a purposeless crime.

Leonard and Tarantino fans may enjoy this movie, but it is only a novelty. The 70’s music, clothing and style not only give away its age, but limit it as a mere time capsule look at a certain sub-genre. At the time, African-Americans may have desired cinematic heroes, but despite the integrity of Sgt. Williams, and other supporting black roles, his stereotypical character traits, such as a huge sexual appetite and a smooth talking style, certainly didn’t offer anything heroic for the African-American public. DETROIT 9000 may not have gotten its due at the time of its release, but it really isn’t important enough for a re-release.