Purely Joyful Movie!

An absolute waste of money

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

My favorite movie ever. Gets better every time. It seems corny with some spots of promise the first time you watch it but the appreciation level grows. George Murdock, Don Gordon and Carol Speed are hidden gems in a 70s, dare I say it, blaxploitation movie. Quotable as hell with hidden messages. The first ever documented on film Players ball, an awesome battery acid injected death scene, planetarium hypnosis and a guy trapped in a trunk with rats. Max Julien and Micheal Campus killed it.

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.

Disclaimer - I'm a white guy. I was a kid when this movie came out.Watching it today, it is ripe for ridicule:In only 10 minutes of watching this film, I have seen a black pimp treat black hookers poorly, while he's "dating" a white girl. A black woman even takes exception to this in a Chinese restaurant, chastising him and degrading her AND harassing the Asian restaurant owner.Were there any "black" films of the 1970's, that had any redeeming value ? And what about black films today ? I realize this film is a stereotypical view of black life in the hood. But, it should be used as a benchmark for black people, to push themselves away from this garbage and lifestyle. If you compare this to the Asian population - look at how stereotyped this movie portrays the Asian man - a Chinese restaurant owner with broken English. And look in 43 years' time, where Asians are now. They have worked hard, studied, improved themselves, and stopped making excuses (if they ever did) and have become a very successful and productive part of our society. This movie is just a sad reminder of how little things have changed for some in 4 decades.

Great movie, with gritty realism. Not blaxploitation in the vein of "Blacula", "Truck Turner" or "Black Frankenstein".Recently got the DVD, cleaned up nicely. Contains the documentary "Mackin' Ain't Easy", which tells the story of the macking, er, making of "The Mack", with the Hill Brothers, from Oakland's underworld, helping to make the movie, while Huey Newton & the Black Panthers trying to stop it.Again, this is a great movie, and a fine addition to any DVD collection.