The Mack (1973)

Director:

Michael Campus

Writer:

Robert J. Poole (written by)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

They're doing the job the cops can't!

Plot:

Goldie returns from five years at the state pen and winds up king of the pimping game. Trouble comes...

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Death | Police | Oakland California | Black Militant

Cast

Max Julien	...	Goldie
Don Gordon	...	Hank
Richard Pryor	...	Slim
Carol Speed	...	Lulu
Roger E. Mosley	...	Olinga
William Watson	...	Jed
George Murdock	...	Fatman
Juanita Moore	...	Mother
Paul Harris	...	Blind man
Kai Hernandez	...	Chico
Annazette Chase	...	China Doll
Junero Jennings	...	Baltimore Bob
Lee Duncan	...	Sgt. Duncan
Stu Gilliam	...	Announcer
Sandra Brown	...	Diane

Also Known As:

The Mack and His Pack

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Certification:

Australia:R | Norway:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Oakland, California, USA

Company:

Harbor Productions

Trivia:

Was a direct influence on Oliver Stone's script for Scarface (1983). Both The Mack and Scarface have hugely influencde hip-hop culture. The Mack has been sampled in hundreds of songs (rap, R&B, hip hop, etc), including Dr. Dre's "The Chronic". Max Julien also played Nelly's father in the video for "Pimp Juice."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Century of Black Cinema (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Brother's Goin' to Work It Out

Max Julien gives a brilliant performance as "The Mack". Definitely makes my blaxploitation Top Five!

'The Mack' is one of the very best blaxploitation movies of the 1970s, and one that has had an enormous influence on both hip hop culture and Quentin Tarantino. Max Julien gives a brilliant performance as Goldie an ex-con who decides that pimping is his best hope for survival and success. Julien had played one of the members of Jack Nicholson's psychedelic combo Mumblin' Jim in Richard Rush's 60s classic 'Psych-Out'. 'The Mack' should have put him up with Fred Williamson and Richard Roundtree as a major black star, but for some reason his career never took off, despite his obvious charisma and co-writing and co-producing the hugely successful 'Cleopatra Jones'. So much so that when Tarantino wanted him to audition for the part of Marcellus Wallace in 'Pulp Fiction' he was unable to even track him down. Too bad as Julien would have been a terrific Wallace and it might have kick started his career. Apart from Julien the movie features Richard Pryor as his crazed best friend Slim, Roger Mosley (who played Leadbelly in Gordon "Shaft" Parks little seen biopic) is Goldie's politically active younger brother Olinga, and Carol Speed ('Abby') plays Lulu, the prostitute who gets him started in the game. But my favourite supporting role is the one by Don Gordon who plays Hank, an evil corrupt cop. Gordon later went on to play another nasty piece of work in Dennis Hopper's 'Out Of The Blue'. He's just terrific in both movies and rarely gets the attention he deserves. 'The Mack' definitely makes my blaxploitation Top Five, along with (no order) 'Superfly', 'Shaft', 'Black Caesar' and 'Coffy'. (Sorry I don't count 'Across 110th Street' as blaxploitation, otherwise I'd list it).