Movie Review: Trick Baby 1974
Blue (Mel Stewart) and Folks (Kiel Martin) are two small time con men looking for the ultimate score. Blue is an older, seasoned con who has been in the game for quite some time and Folks is a newbie who looks up to Blue. Folks has a secret weapon that gives him an edge in the con game, he’s a Black man who looks White. His skin tone grants him a pass into circles that Blue could never infiltrate. Folks and Blue put the make on an elderly gent for $10,000, which in turn causes the man to have a heart attack once he figures out he’s been had. What Blue and Folks don’t realize is the elderly gent has ties to the Mafia. In the meantime, Folks has possibly engineered their biggest score ever for $150,000 with a group of wealthy real estate investors. Unfortunately the duo may not be able to cash in on this score because they must choose to either cop the cash or flee the city from the mob. No more spoilers from y’all!
This film is based on the legendary book by Iceberg Slim of the same name. I have read the book and this movie only covers part of it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for what it was worth. It’s not your typical waka-waka Blaxploitation film, no hookers and pimps running around in ridiculous attire. It was just the story of two con artists looking for the perfect score and running out of luck along the way. The role of Folks was played White actor Kiel Martin, I guess they didn’t have time to locate a biracial actor to fill this role ehh? I’m not a big fan of remakes but I think this movie could get a proper overhaul by a reputable director. Overall I thought this was a decent film and a rarely-seen gem from the 70’s.
Verdict: 3 Soul Claps
Blue (Mel Stewart) and Folks (Kiel Martin) are two small time con men looking for the ultimate score. Blue is an older, seasoned con who has been in the game for quite some time and Folks is a newbie who looks up to Blue. Folks has a secret weapon that gives him an edge in the con game, he’s a Black man who looks White. His skin tone grants him a pass into circles that Blue could never infiltrate. Folks and Blue put the make on an elderly gent for $10,000, which in turn causes the man to have a heart attack once he figures out he’s been had. What Blue and Folks don’t realize is the elderly gent has ties to the Mafia. In the meantime, Folks has possibly engineered their biggest score ever for $150,000 with a group of wealthy real estate investors. Unfortunately the duo may not be able to cash in on this score because they must choose to either cop the cash or flee the city from the mob. No more spoilers from y’all!
This film is based on the legendary book by Iceberg Slim of the same name. I have read the book and this movie only covers part of it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for what it was worth. It’s not your typical waka-waka Blaxploitation film, no hookers and pimps running around in ridiculous attire. It was just the story of two con artists looking for the perfect score and running out of luck along the way. The role of Folks was played White actor Kiel Martin, I guess they didn’t have time to locate a biracial actor to fill this role ehh? I’m not a big fan of remakes but I think this movie could get a proper overhaul by a reputable director. Overall I thought this was a decent film and a rarely-seen gem from the 70’s.
Verdict: 3 Soul Claps
Labels: Movie Reviews
This entry was posted
on Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 10:33 AM.
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