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:

The 1983 reissue contained an alternate score added by the distributors. This score was composed by a then unknown Alan Silvestri. Oddly enough, this alternate score is not on the current DVD.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Brother's Goin' to Work It Out

"The Mack"

Blaxploitation has never had a good working relationship inside mainstream cinema because it sometimes required the audience to relate with people who were pimps, pushers, hookers, and any other rabble of common street criminals. But people loved movies like "Reservoir Dogs" and "Trainspotting"; yet "Dogs" had murderous jewel thieves in the leads and "Trainspotting" was about heroin addicts in Edinburgh. So then, "The Mack" can't be any different from those two, can it?

I missed Blaxploitation when it arose during the 60s and 70s because I wasn't alive; I was born in 1985. I stumbled across "The Mack" at a local used book store that also sold videos. Sitting on a rack, was "The Mack."

After doing five rough years in prison, Goldie (Max Julien) decides to become a pimp in order to make a living, much to the dismay of his younger brother Olinga (Roger E. Mosley), who has become radicalized within the pro-Black civil rights movement during the time that Goldie has spent behind bars. Goldie then has to contend with a pair of racist, corrupt cops who hound him constantly and rival pimps.

"The Mack" is a movie that has become an enormous influence on modern hip-hop culture and is frequently referenced to in the films of Quentin Tarantino. Max Julien makes for a truly convincing "Mack" and there's even a rather subdued, yet incredibly funny supporting performance from Richard Pryor.

This movie really does capture the essence of a chaotic time period perfectly. Vietnam was going on in 1973 and some people felt that life in America was in shambles, with drugs and crime running rampant in this country. So I guess that's why people praised movies like "Death Wish," "Dirty Harry," "A Clockwork Orange," and basically any Sam Peckinpah movie that came out during the 70s.

Along with maybe "Shaft" and "Foxy Brown," "The Mack" could probably be one of the better known Blaxploitation flicks released during the 70s. I loved this movie from beginning to end. But it's a shame that "The Mack" is not more well-known in the movie-going community.

10/10