Directed by Larry Yust
Two Philadelphia con men try to evade gangsters they have conned and cops who are trying to put them in jail.
The Double Con, Geh zur Hölle, 机灵鬼
USAR USA 
The new Kino Lorber Blu-ray looks quite nice. Philly circa '71 is simply scrumptious looking. Shot by Isidore Mankofsky (The Muppet Movie). I love how it seems they stole a bunch of street and subway shots.
- Interview with Director Larry Yust
- Radio Spot
- Theatrical Trailer
Adapted from Iceberg Slim’s novel of the same name, Trick Baby follows two con men as they attempt to pull off their biggest score yet, while trying to dodge a powerful mobster whom they have inadvertently crossed. I can’t believe how underseen this is! It lacks some of the punch and gritty realism of its source material, but is a a solid crime thriller with great performances and direction, plus a palpable depiction of ‘70s Philadelphia; from the neon-coated barroom in which our peripatetic protagonists spend the majority of their time post-con, to the rained-out streets upon which the tools of their trade are plied—spotting fresh marks for the swindle together, racing against the only thing that can stop them: time.
despite being based on the work of Iceberg Slim, Trick Baby has more in common with ambling 70s buddy movies - like California Split - than it does with its blaxploitation contemporaries; far more of a character piece than an action film, it's also arguably the most Philly Philly movie of the era (even if Rocky would overshadow it only a few years later)
and I really just love "fun" 70s movies with super grim endings and this definitely has one of those
"YOUR DIRT IS OUR MONEY"
“Don’t waste your sympathy on marks. Those sons of bitches are thieves at heart. They’d play the con themselves if they knew how.”
Writer/director Larry Yust (the other credited writers are made up) took a difficult book and made some sensible adaptation choices to streamline Iceberg Slim’s novel. “Old guy and young guy” con artists who rip off the wrong mark and have to dodge the heat from it while they remain in town to collect on an even more lucrative scam. Nice to see Philly of the era in a film, changed from the book’s Chicago.
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Slim’s novel starts and ends with the jewellery con, but most of the book is Folks’ early life. His childhood is rough,…
Trick Baby is your proof apparent that not every crime film made in the 70s with prominent black characters can be lazily labelled as blaxploitation. And not just because the lead character is played by Kiel Martin.
Trick Baby is more a traditional crime caper / con job film, it's just that its locale is different than most. There's very little action and there's seemingly more of an emphasis on story and character building than most of its supposed peers. It's just so much different from almost all the films its labelling compares it to that it does neither itself or actual blaxploitation films any favours at all.
Anyway, with the genre-related rant over, what's…
A hidden gem, with fantastic performances by Kiel Martin and Mel Stewart. There's an outstanding foot chase through the streets of Philadelphia.
It's a fun flick that is well worth your time.
What I always imagined it would be like to be a con artist in the seventies. 😂🤣
"With your complexion and my brains... the sky's the limit." - Blue,
- Top 50 Blaxploitation: boxd.it/1w5pa
- "Todd 10,000" Scavenger Hunt: boxd.it/hBpLa
CLUE 15: Watch any film that Todd hasn't yet seen.
Friendship is magic!!!
Trick Baby is a grimy film with a consistently entertaining story and fun performances. I love a good crime drama and this hits all the beats, with a script that is smart and biting and characters that demand your attention. Personally, I could've used a better score and a few more "wow" moments but I could see myself rewatching this.
Sure.
Over the past couple of years, I have been so fascinated by passing narratives. This one is an intriguing hangout version of one that has far deeper racial politics—from housing to tokenism—than its initial opening would suggest.
This rules! A con man duo work their magic all over 70s Philadelphia, helped by the fact that no one suspects a Black man and a white man to be working together. Not only is it great fun to see rich morons and police get swindled in interesting ways, but it frequently features one of my favourite things in film: people having to quickly talk themselves out of a jam. A bunch of times a scheme goes wrong or it looks like one of the two are about to get caught, but they’re so clever, quick-witted, and experienced in the con game that they're able to slither away and survive. Unfortunately they’ve probably conned one too many people at this…
Great kind of mix of con-man crime drama and character driven buddy picture; there's a solid set up and the plot has some good turns (particularly liked the two main characters worming their way out of a predicament involving the cop hot on their trails.) Unfortunately the women aren't really given a whole lot to do here, but otherwise I thought this was pretty terrific.
