Journey Into DVD: Trouble Man (1972)

The passing of a human being often makes us take stock of our lives and reassess the way in which we interact with the world. It also makes us reassess our Netflix queues. So it is that when Ivan Dixon died recently, I bumped up one of his directorial efforts, "Trouble Man." After seeing this 1972 Blaxploitation flick on DVD, I can only say I wish it hadn't took someone dying to get me to see this. It's a great way to spend 100 minutes and any fan of the genre needs to check it out. Dig?

Here are just a few of the reasons why I so enjoyed this Journey Into DVD:

*Mr. T: No, not the "I pity the fool" eighties icon, but a more stoic version. Robert Hooks may not have as much natural charisma as the former B.A. Baracus, but his urban icon gets things done in his own neighborhood and is just as powerful.

*Vintage old-school Coke machine: T's informal clubhouse, a local pool hall, prominently features

*Familiar Faces: Seeing African-American vets like Julius Harris (great here as a gangster known as "big) and Paul Winfield is a pleasure, but the real kick is seeing Ralph Waite as the requisite Sleazy White Guy. I didn't know the Walton family patriarch could do sleaze so well in the early seventies. Have I lived a sheltered life?

*Mr. T is not omnipotent: Our protagonist doesn't always know everything that's going on. He's a sharp cat, no doubt, but he misses some things and takes his lumps as a result. Sure, it's fun to see the all-knowing kind of hero tear through all his problems in 90 minutes, but T takes some time to get there.

*The white cop isn't a total idiot: Many films in this genre feature white cops who are buffoons if not corrupt. I'm glad to see Dixon's movie gives us a more well-rounded portrait of humanity--not because I'm white and I resent seeing Caucasian buffoons, but because it's less cliched.

*The old ultra-violence: Hey, we have Mr. T getting caught up in some shady goings-on between some rough gangsters. Yes, there is going to be violence, and that includes hand-to-hand combat and even a little gunplay. Sometimes the climactic action showdowns in these down-and-dirty flicks can get dull, but this is really well executed and fun to watch.

*Fine use of the "f" word: No, the "f" word isn't a substitute for clever, intelligent dialogue. But sometimes it IS clever, intelligent dialogue in itself, as is the case here.

*Marvin Gaye's score: Aficionados may prefer the ballyhooed work Curtis Mayfield did for "Superfly," but I think Gaye's soundtrack is more entertaining.

*A cool trailer: Watch this after the movie (so as not to reveal too much beforehand) and see if it doesn't make you want to watch it again. Or if you're still not convinced, check it out now on YouTube. If this doesn't interest you, nothing will. I assure you that in this case, the actual movie does live up to its trailer.

"Trouble Man" deserves a spot alongside the more famous "Shaft," "Foxy Brown," etc. I want to check out more of Dixon's work now.