Pretty Good

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This guy sports no mohawk, full beard, camouflage pants or 500 k in gold chains, and yet this Mr. T is just as supremely bad-ass as his more famous namesake. Over a decade before B.A. Baracus first pitied fools with the "A-Team", 'Trouble Man' Robert Hooks kicked asses through grindhouse cinemas in this highly entertaining blaxploitation flick of 1972. Mr T. (Robert Hooks) is a super-tough and super-cool player, private eye and basically the man for every business that calls for balls - the 'Trouble Man'. As one of the promotional lines promises: "He carries two guns, one to stop trouble and one to make trouble." If a job is dangerous and needs to be done, Mr. T is the man to do it. Trying to trick him, however, is not recommendable...While "Trouble Man" is, as far as I am concerned, no highlight of 70s blaxploitation cinema (films like "Coffy", the original "Shaft" or "Truck Turner" come with my highest possible recommendations) it is a film that every fan of the black Exploitation sub-genre should appreciate. The story is not the most original ever, but good enough. The film is full of action and violent shootouts, the score by Marvin Gaye is cool (even if not quite as cool as the contemporary scores by Isaac Hayes), and Robert Hooks is great in the lead. Some more female eye-candy certainly wouldn't have bothered me, but overall the film shouldn't be missed by blaxploitation fans. Highly recommended to my fellow lovers of 70s cult-cinema.

The most fascinating thing about this movie is the soundtrack written composed and performed by Marvin Gaye!!!! As a pro drummer myself I was always amazed by the performance of the drummer(Marvin Gaye)and the freedom and flowing manner he was allowed to play! Its easy to do when you're also the producer and composer! Right on ,MarvinGaye!!!!!!!!!!!! I am searching for the soundtrack and will update you in the future as to the pertinent info regarding the sessions (which I think were engineered by none other than Art Stewart) and as recalled all the tracks were banging. On the title track Trouble Man Marvin is swinging the groove like never before and I always tripped out on how the drummer got away with with it. As I said earlier when you are the boss ,you can do that! In closing I didn't discover the facts till last year when I finally found the movie and read the credits. Peace

Great movie. I too saw it for the first time on Fox Movie Channel. It grabbed me & held on tight. Great acting, great action, great atmosphere. Better than Shaft! If this movie had had Lee Marvin as the lead it would have been called the "greatest action movie since Point Blank" (which it kind of reminded me of). Anyway, a terrific film!

Being a Baby Boomer I thought I had caught all or most of the Black-Exploitation movies! Somehow I missed Trouble Man! Robert Hooks who plays "T" had to be one of the coolest dudes I've ever seen! I wonder what Mr. Hooks (who's a serious and dramatic actor) thinks when looks back at this wonderful piece of art! Sound Track is great!