The Mack
| The Mack | |
|---|---|
 The movie poster for the film The Mack | |
| Directed by | Michael Campus |
| Written by | Robert J. Poole |
| Produced by | Harvey Bernhard |
| Starring | Max Julien Richard Pryor Carol Speed Roger E. Mosley George Murdock |
| Music by | Willie Hutch |
| Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release date | April 4, 1973 |
Running time | 110 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Mack is a 1973 blaxploitation film starring Max Julien and Richard Pryor. Although the movie was produced during the era of such blaxploitation movies as Dolemite, its producers do not label it a true blaxploitation picture. They believe it to be a social commentary, according to Mackin' Ain't Easy, a documentary about the making of the film, which can be found on the DVD edition. The movie is set in Oakland, California and was the biggest grossing blaxploitation film of its time. Its soundtrack was recorded by Motown artist Willie Hutch.
Plot
The movie deals with the life of John Mickens (AKA Goldie), a former drug dealer recently released from prison who becomes a big-time pimp. Standing in his way is another pimp named Pretty Tony, two corrupt white cops, a local crime lord, and even his own black nationalist brother, who try to force him out of the business. The movie contains several actual and former pimps.[citation needed]
References in popular culture
The song "I Choose You" was sampled by UGK in their 2006 song "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)"—which also featured OutKast—and by Jaheim in his song "The Chosen One."
The most famous scene in the movie is the one featuring the "Annual Players Ball". It has become an often-referenced cultural icon. It was the name of Outkast's first single. Also the Player's Ball scene was the theme of Jay-Z's 1997 single Who You Wit and it was parodied most recently by Chappelle's Show, where it became the "Player-Haters' Ball."
The film contains the legendary line: "You know the rules of the game, your bitch just chose me. Now we can handle this like you got some class, or we can get into some gangsta shit." The line has been referenced several times in rap music. The Most Know is from a skit off of Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle and even made an appearance on The Boondocks episode The Block Is Hot.
Rapper Musab featured the "pimpings big business" line on his debut album.
The characters Drexl Spivey (Gary Oldman) and Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) watch The Mack in a pivotal scene in True Romance.
See also
External links
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