Trouble Man Reviews

This ugly blaxploitation film features Hooks as a smartly dressed, foul-mouthed LA private detective with a white Lincoln Mark IV he uses for investigations. Winfield and Waite (soon to become the father in TV's "The Waltons") are a black and white pair of baddies who want Hooks's help when someone starts muscling in on their (already illegal) crap games. Several bullet-ridden corpses later, Hooks has neatly solved the crime, killed a few bad guys, and lifted some guns from right under the police department's nose. Despite some excellent use of Los Angeles locations, TROUBLE MAN is a classic example of what white writers and producers perceive as the black lifestyle. Included are plenty of easy sex, fancy duds, and lots of "jive" language and obscenities for so-called street realism. The cast itself has a fine background. Hooks was formerly a member of the noted Negro Ensemble Company of New York, and Winfield had given a fine performance in SOUNDER. TROUBLE MAN was simply another example of the racist beliefs that permeated Hollywood through the years, thus reinforcing stereotypes for no other reason than to make a buck.