Expected more

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

The Mack is not simply a 'blaxploitation' movie. You can take it seriously as a drama and it works very well. It depicts a time and place honestly, even as it is still making drama out of this world of pimps and hookers and cops and violence and money. It's crude, but it has a kind of inherent integrity that's hard to explain. Max Julien may break out into a grin or smile once too much, but he can, and does, carry this movie really well. He makes this entire thing become alive in a way that he is likable and charismatic, and yet carries a level of authority. You don't doubt for a second that he can become this Mega-Pimp.The scummy police men are played so slimy they transcend typical trash and become epically trash-tastic (the worst white cops maybe in any 70's movie?), and Richard Pryor as the not-really-comic sidekick helps a good deal too.Great music, real dramatic conflict, and DAMN do some people get f****d up here! Most weird but enjoyable scene for me (and maybe the closest it gets to being so OUT-there exploitation-y) is when Goldie is giving his "orientation" bit to the hookers in the planetarium. I want to watch that on a loop.

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...

Said be one of the seminal blaxploitation movies ever made I must say I will probably never become a fan of the genre. Goldie (Max Julien) has just left prison after serving 5 years in state penitentiary. On his return his is offered the opportunity to become a pimp. With hope to better his existence he agrees and quickly becomes one of the best in the business with 10 girls to his name. He improves not only his life but also that of his mother. All this success garners unwanted interest of the local drug distributors, rival pimps and corrupt cops wanting some greasing. On the other side of this is Goldie's older brother Olinga (Roger E. Mosley), who is a black activist trying to clean up the streets from drugs, prostitutes and crime.The influence this movie had on hip hop and pimpdom is quite obvious. The costumes and the moves of artists such as Snoop Dogg are all The Mack. But in hindsight was this movie really deserving all its praise? Yes, it has some very interesting quirky scenes (especially those involving cops) and all in all remains a fun, if outdated watch. But watching it now I don't seem to be able to find the magic behind the movie. The storytelling is very disjointed and jumpy with a whole lot of sequences happening chaotically and with no purpose. The dramatic flow of the movie is severely lacking and as such I never felt pulled into the story, which left me watching it not too intently by the second hour.Acting is definitely a big plus of the movie and everyone from the cast does a standout job. Some of the scenes are definitely worth note, but the movie as a whole stumbles and crawls all too often to really make you want to rewatch the flick.

I never seen the Mack when it first came out, but when I was 13 , and I seen it at the Southern Theater in Columbus. I was shocked how the movie evolved. First he's released from prison after 5 years, and then his old flame(Carol Speed who was good) became one of his girls, and the two crooked cops that put him in the prison in first place harassing him, and killed his mother, and then kills a rival pimp with dynamite in the mouth, and then he shoots battery acid into the "Fat Man" after all this he winds up on top in the end despite all of the tragedy he went through. I don't know why Max Julien didn't do more movies than he did, but he's still a great actor. Richard Pryor does a great job as Goldie's sidekick Slick. I can see this movie many times over, because it was that good. If you get a chance buy this movie, it's available anywhere.