The Mack (1973)

Goldie returns from five years at the state pen and winds up King of the pimping game. Trouble comes in the form of two corrupt white cops and a crime lord who wants him to return to the ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Campus

Writer:

Robert J. Poole

Stars:

Max Julien, Don Gordon, Richard Pryor

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Max Julien	...	Goldie
Don Gordon	...	Hank
Richard Pryor	...	Slim
Carol Speed	...	Lulu
Roger E. Mosley	...	Olinga
Dick Anthony Williams	...	Pretty Tony (as Dick Williams)
William Watson	...	Jed (as William C. Watson)
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

Storyline

Goldie returns from five years at the state pen and winds up King of the pimping game. Trouble comes in the form of two corrupt white cops and a crime lord who wants him to return to the small time.

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Plot Keywords:

poliziottesco | north american poliziottesco | blaxploitation film | grindhouse film | hood | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The white fur coat worn by Goldie in this film to the Players Ball is now part of the collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History & Culture in Washington, DC.

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Goofs

At one point, Goldie learns a rival thug is planning to rob him. As a preemptive strike, he kidnaps the man and stuffs him into the trunk of his car at gunpoint and dumps a bagful of live rats into the trunk. Goldie then calmly cruises the streets of Oakland as the man screams in pain and terror. Ultimately, Goldie dumps his victim, still clutching a rat he has managed to crush in one of his hands, in the driveway of an emergency room and then gets back into the car and drives away. There is no explanation of where the rest of the rats went or why Goldie would risk his own expensive luxury car along with a chance he would ultimately be surprised and bitten by a straggling rodent by using that particular method to torture his would-be enemy.

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Quotes

Pimp: "Hey, I don't hafta take this! I'm a rich nigga! I thought you paid these pooh- butts off! You beat walkin' motherfuckers!"

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Alternate Versions

Some video versions have rerelease soundtrack from 1980s.

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Connections

Referenced in Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks' Wild, Wild West (2014)

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Soundtracks

Brother's Gonna Work It Out
Words and Music by Willie Hutch

User Reviews

Mackin' ain't easy!

In this, one of the most popular of blaxploitation films, the charismatic Max Julien shines as Goldie, a man fresh from a stretch in prison who quickly rises to the role of top pimp in the city of Oakland. Adding complication to his life are the activities of a pair of crooked racist white detectives (Don Gordon, William Watson) and the requests of top mobster The Fatman (George Murdock) for Goldie to return to the small time. What the film truly benefits from is a sterling group of actors. Julien is engaging as the cool, calm & collected super pimp. The under-rated Gordon scores as a very bad bad guy, Roger E. Mosley is effectively intense as Goldie's activist brother, lovely Carol Speed is endearing as Lulu the prostitute, as is Juanita Moore as Goldie's loving mother, and Dick Anthony Williams has a field day as flamboyant Pretty Tony. Richard Pryor's performance, decidedly more dramatic than comedic, is solid, and he proves to be a good sidekick. The film itself is fairly overlong, but as scripted by Robert J. Poole and directed by Michael Campus, it tells a decent story in an interesting enough way, and it doesn't shy away from brutality. It gives laymen an insider's perspective by consulting with a number of real-life pimps, and shows how their lifestyle affects everything that they do. They even have barbecues, softball games, and an annual Pimp of the Year contest. By the end it's managed to portray Goldie in a complex fashion, showing that he hasn't acted THAT differently from the ruthless Hank (Gordon). Yet, of course, we can't help but side with Goldie during the finale as his nemesis has clearly gone too far. It's here that Goldie has to make an important decision. An indelible influence on pop culture, particularly Quentin Tarantino, "The Mack" immerses us in this appropriately seedy world. It's good fun, with a very hip score by Willie Hutch, and captures its time and place extremely well & remains convincing throughout. It doesn't waste time getting to the action, and features some memorable lines and exchanges. It may not be for everybody - some people may indeed feel that it's glorifying those in the prostitution business too much - but it does a compelling job at portraying a very real and very old profession, and very real part of life. Seven out of 10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mack and His Pack

Filming Locations:

3701 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harbor Productions, Harvey Bernhard Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1