Product Description

It takes a street fighter to clean up the streets. It takes The Mack and his pack to do it right! Packed with raw power, The Mack takes an uncompromising look at big city street life and survival. Don't miss the action because the action never stops! Year: 1973

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2571 in DVD
• Brand: NEW LINE HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2002-09-03
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 110 minutes

Features

• It takes a street fighter to clean up the streets. It takes The Mack and his pack to do it right! Packed with raw power, The Mack takes an uncompromising look at big city street life and survival. Don't miss the action because the action never stops! Year: 1973Running Time: 110 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R Age: 794043556623 UPC: 7940435566

Amazon.com
The Mack, a 1973 pimping epic, is at once a laughable, schlock classic and a harbinger of more serious black-themed films to come. Starring the now-forgotten Max Julien as Goldie, the preening ex-con whose dream is to rule the streets with a fine Cadillac and a fleet of topnotch hookers, this film is full of whip-crack, mostly improvised dialogue and hilarious stereotypes (the evil white cops, a wisdom-spouting blind man, and more trash-talkin' pimps than you could shake a walking stick at).

Not only is the film one you can chuckle at in the postmodern, ironic mode, it is also a window on the world of today's rap superstars, many of whom have sampled, invoked, or quoted lines from this gaudy paean to pandering. In other words, The Mack is a kind of godfather to a future stark frankness about life on the streets. But forget the sociological hooey and dig into the piece as an urban costume picture with a greasy/funky score by R&B genius Willie Hutch.

Also, it features an amazing supporting turn by Richard Pryor, who, playing Tonto to Julien's Lone Ranger, unleashes torrents of nearly incomprehensible verbiage in the film's finest moments. Mind you, such brilliance is a direct comedy-organ transplant from Pryor's stand-up act: he was performing his "Pimp on Blow" routine at about the same time The Mack was filmed. Seventy percent of this piece is dross, but the other 30 is the apex of urban surrealism. One vignette to tantalize: Goldie hypnotizing his "ladies" into docile submission as they sit in a planetarium, mechanically repeating his words: "I will remain a lady at all times..." --David Was

Customer Reviews

"a wad of cash so big your pockets look like they got mumps"
The Mack (1973), probably one of the most referenced movies in the hip hop culture, on appearance has all the qualities of a blaxploitation film, but a closer and thoughtful look might give you a different opinion. Directed by documentarian Michael Campus and starring Max Julien, Richard Pryor, and Carol Speed, The Mack presents a portrait taken in time of a particular lifestyle not many ever get to see.

The movie opens with two men, Goldie (Julien) and Slim (Pryor), involved in a gunfight in a junkyard. Seemingly out numbered, Goldie tells Slim to take off (wouldn't have been my choice as Slim is sporting what appears to be a M16 while Goldie's sporting a handgun). Slim manages to split, while Goldie gets picked up by the police, and subsequently sentenced to five years in a penitentiary. Serving some particular hard time, Goldie gets released, and tries to put the pieces back together. He visits his brother, Olinga, played by Roger E. Mosley (Magnum P.I.), who is involved in trying to educate and empower the community, in a character fashion after Black Panther leader Huey Long. Basically. Goldie is presented with two options; follow his brother in focusing on making a difference through psuedo-political means, or follow the path of the Mack, becoming a flesh peddler, and gaining empowerment through the acquisition of money. Goldie chooses the latter, hooking back up with Slim and taking advice from an older blind man, sort of a Obi Wan Kenobi of the underworld, who shares his knowledge with Goldie on how to deal with women in the Mackin' game, the importance of controlling their minds rather than just their bodies. Goldie soon recruits some ladies of the night, and has to deal with corrupt police detectives, rival players, and various other underworld characters during his meteoric rise (he gets chosen as The Mack of the Year at an annual players ball). As Goldie's popularity, or notoriety, increases, so does the pressures, both internal and external, along with the violence, and begins carrying over into his family, and forces Goldie to decide where it's at...

The Mack certainly does seem to glorify these men who deal in the flesh trade, with their extravagant lifestyles, flashy cars, and great wads of cash, but the glamour is quickly overshadowed by the harsh realities presented as the stories progresses, and just how much one has to give up to be a success in that particular business. There are a lot of laughs to be had here, maybe not intentional, but the film is pretty dated. Between the dialog, stereotypes, and trash-talking criminals, there was an underlying sadness for me in the realness of the disgusting attitudes depicted towards the women, objectified to the point where they weren't even people anymore, merely tools of the trade, a means to obtaining material possessions through the sale of their bodies, and also how many look up to these men, idolizing them, thus perpetuating their activities. Shot on location in Oakland, and featuring actual individuals within the community, the film forgoes the slickness of a Hollywood budget, but gains a real grittiness one wouldn't be able to reproduce on a soundstage. The dialog, a lot of it improvised, and some indistinguishable, only adds to the realistic quality of the film, but also isolates it, in my opinion, within the time period in which it was made. The funniest part had to be when Goldie had his women at a planetarium, using the effects of the simulated stars and a microphone to subliminally enforce his will through their repetition of his player mantras. I did like how the film ended, nicely book ending the beginning, bringing the main character full circle.

Presented here is a very good looking wide screen version of the film, which runs approximately 110 minutes. Special features include an original theatrical trailer, a commentary track featuring star Max Julien, producer Harvey Bernard, director Michael Campus, and actors Richard Anthony Williams, Annazette Chase, Don Gordon, and George Murdok, along with an excellent 38 minute featurette titled Mackin' Ain't Easy, which looks back on the making of the film, detailing all the problems and issues that arose, especially those filming on location within Oakland in the early 70's. To some extent, I found this almost more enjoyable than the movie.

Cookieman108

Witness the Smooth Pimpology of Goldie the original Mack
The Mack is probably my favorite blaxploitation film ever. It gives detailed insight into life as the godfather of pimps on the hard streets of Oakland in the 70's. Goldie gets released from prison and immediately begins working his master plan of becoming the biggest pimp-style baller in the oaktown. But his brother is one of the leading activist against exploiting black people to make money. The sub-plot helps magnify the reality of being a successful black man in a white world. If you like "Superfly", "Black Caesar", or "Shaft" then you'll love The Mack.

Something to see
Not only have I viewed this movie several times, but I have gone down memory lane with family members who were close friends with known pimps who became "actors" so to speak after this movie. This movie not only used the real streets in Oakland, but used real pimps and hustlers in the movie as well. Not many would know that the Ward brothers really were pimps who committed serious crimes against individuals and turned into sort of primadonnas after being bitten by the movie bug. Living by the sword also caught up to them. Not many would know that some of the scenes in the movie were re-eactments of real scenes played out by hookers and their pimps at that time. Although the lead actors were big screen names, the supporting actors and actresses were pimps and hookers right off of the streets of Oakland and it's surrounding territories like Alameda and Richmond. Some may say that this movie is something to laugh at, and believe me I laugh loudly when watching the move, but it is definately something to see. take for what it is...a movie...a comedy drama meant to entertain people, but it can also be a useful piece of information that can be bought...the game wasn't written to be sold...only told!