GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Michael_Elliott The Mack (1973)*** (out of 4)Goldie (Max Julien) gets released from prison after a five year stretch and heads back to the streets where he plans to become the greatest Mack (pimp) out there. His brother is against the idea and wishes he'd do something better for his people but Goldie becomes a pimp and soon has issues with two racist white cops.The blaxploitation genre was just kicking off when THE MACK was released and it eventually found some new fame when it was used in TRUE ROMANCE. Watching the film today you can't help but rather respect it because it's not really exploitation. Instead of exploitation it really plays out more like an actual drama that tackles various issues that were in the black community. There's no question having a pimp playing your hero is why so many had issues with the genre but THE MACK is a pretty good film.What I enjoyed the most is the fact that it didn't exploit the situation and instead the movie plays out like a very well-written drama. The Goldie character goes through a lot of changes throughout the film and I thought the character development was rather good. I also thought the supporting players like the pimps, the cops and the brother were also very good. There were a lot of ups and downs for the character but I thought it all played out very well and in a serious way.Julien obviously steals the film playing the pimp. I thought he gave a very strong performance and one that kept you entertained throughout the somewhat long running time. Richard Pryor was also fun in his supporting role where he once again proved what a good dramatic actor he could be. Both Don Gordon and William Watson are a lot of fun as the racist cops.THE MACK has some flaws including it running on a bit too long but I think most people will be surprised at how serious the subject matter is handled.

Scott LeBrun 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.

tavm Just watched this movie on YouTube. It stars Max Julien as Goldie who after a jail term for 5 years for something I didn't hear explained at the beginning (maybe I missed what was said) becomes a pimp to the eventual consternation of his brother, Olinga (Roger E. Mosley), who's trying to get many of his race to become self-sufficient with no help from the white man. Goldie sure has many obstacles in his way like rival pimps and corrupt white cops as well as his former white employer known only as Fat Man. Richard Pryor plays his loyal associate Slim. Goldie also has a mother (Juanita Moore) he wants to move to a better apartment. I'll stop there and just say that while the movie is never boring and the performances are good, the characters are mostly not ones one wants to associate with except for the clothes they wear and the women one wants to...well, you know. I can certainly admire the way comedian Pryor doesn't try to make his character a caricature. Despite some flaws, The Mack is mostly well made. But I'd only recommend it if you don't think what is being depicted on screen is something to be envious of. At least it wasn't predictable the way it all ended...

jcasetnl SPOILER ALERT I can't believe I've never seen this film before. Actor Max Julien plays "Goldie", an ex-con who returns to the streets determined to make it as a pimp in Oakland.The film was actually shot in early '70s Oakland. Yes, the early '70s, Black Panthers vs Pimps, racial upheaval, everyone get naked next door in Berkeley, warzone Oakland.The directors and producers needed "permission" from both the Panthers and the reigning pimp of the time, Fred Ward, just to film and premiere the film. Fred Ward appears in several scenes as one of the competing Pimps and without a doubt he's one cool cat.The story follows the usual pattern. At first Goldie does well, organizes a stable of fine hoes (and they are fine), buys his mom a new house and is pimpin' in the dopest ride I've ever seen. Like any good pimp he keeps the local school kids flush with cash and warns them not to grow up to be like him. They can be doctors, lawyers, whatever. Just don't be a pimp.Now all the while Goldie is working hard to be the Mack, his brother is heavily involved in the Panthers and trying to improve the community. On several occasions the two brothers clash for obvious reasons. Were it not for the bond of brotherhood they would certainly have nothing to do with each other. But being that they are brothers, they must somehow reconcile their diametrically opposed viewpoints.This is a strong and well delivered theme of the film. While Goldie seeks empowerment one way, his brother seeks it another way. But it isn't played out like a sanitized, good and evil, afterschool special. Both brothers make valid arguments for their choice of lifestyle. In the end, you just can't knock the hustle.Goldie has the local cops constantly on his butt for kickbacks and free hoes and they deliver rock solid performances. One of them delivers the beststream-of-consciousness-drunk-as-a-skunk-with-fat-black-uninterested-hooker performance I've ever seen. Not on par with Gene Hackman's breakdown from heroin addiction in The French Connection 2, but still so good you wonder if he really was actually drunk to do the scene.Of course it's not long before rival pimps and gangsters get just a wee bit annoyed at Goldie taking some of their territory and put the finger on him. First one of his hoes gets offed. Goldie wastes no time in exacting his revenge. His gang ambushes the local kingpin and injects him with BATTERY ACID. Convulsing kingpin death ensues.Then a ho belonging to another pimp decides to join Goldie, and for that, the other pimp kills Goldie's mom! Really. Bad. Idea.Once again, Goldie gets his revenge. This competing pimp carries a cane that conceals a hidden rapier. Goldie, with gun leveled on the guy, orders him to stab himself over and over and then finishes him off with his blazing pistola. He finds out later that it was actually the two white cops that killed his mother, on orders from the pimp. Goldie partners with his brother to deal with them.Alas, the experience has taken its toll and Goldie decides he's had enough of the pimping game.What an incredible film. I originally thought this was going to be typical blacksploitation ala Shaft but I was so wrong. First of all, the exploitation elements are kept to a minimum. I know that's hard to believe given what I've said above but it's true. Well-acted and well-filmed, Max Julien delivers just the right amount of cool, the right amount of visciousness and the right amount of sweetness to his hoes and the audience. The result is a fairly authentic blueprint of the Oaktown in the early 70s, the racial struggle, and of course, the pimping game.