Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

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.

Uriah43 This movie begins with a shootout in Oakland between the police and a group of black men. One of the black men named "Goldie" (Max Julien) is caught and sentenced to 5 years in a penitentiary. When he finally gets released he meets up with a childhood friend name "Lulu" (Carol Speed) who has since become a prostitute and laments to him how difficult her profession is without a pimp. He then makes the decision to accept the challenge and begins to actively recruit attractive women to oversee. One thing leads to another and soon he becomes the top "mack" in all of Oakland. Yet while this obviously translates into increased revenues for him it also attracts other undesirable elements who want a cut as well. So now he has to contend with crooked cops and an organized crime boss in addition to his rivals. Now, rather than reveal any more of the story and risk ruining the movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a fairly good "blaxploitation" film which seemed to get better as the movie progressed. Personally, I didn't think Max Julien fit the role that well because of his quiet demeanor but he still put in a decent performance all the same. Certainly worth a watch for those who enjoy films in this genre.

forklift-ny 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.

Edsel Hegmon 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.