'Superfly' vs. 'The Mack': Which is the better blaxploitation film?

For no particular reason, I recently visited two of the most iconic, oft-quoted movies of the so-called blaxploitation era, Superfly and The Mack.

In the past, I've enjoyed both in a kind of transgressive, cultural curio sort of way -- but under close inspection I've determined that The Mack is a legitimately great film while Superfly is merely a good one.

Of course, both films have to be viewed in the context of their times. They're both extremely low budget (although The Mack's production values are considerably higher) and are problematic in terms of their portrayal of women to say the least.

Both films also glorify a criminal lifestyle that is ostensibly indefensible -- in Superfly's case, the drug trade, and in The Mack's, the prostitution business.

Both films also attempt to layer their films with some sociopolitical messaging and subtext, and both are anchored by a compelling protagonist who effectively conveys a certain angst and ennui about their stock and trade.

But I'm a Mack man. The film is a very authentic deep dive into the trials and tribulations of pimpdom. And once you get past the wild costumes and the often hyperbolic dialogue, there's a fairly sophisticated film there.

Ron O'Neal in Superfly

The 'hero' -- Goldie -- struggles to justify making a fortune within a white power structure -- and clashes with his righteous, politically active brother who wants to see him put his considerable intelligence and skills to a more worthwhile cause.

Max Julien, who plays Goldie, is unlike any other blaxploitation leading man. He's not traditionally handsome, is soft spoken and not necessarily hyper-masculine -- but that helps hims tremendously when he is either playing comedically off Richard Pryor (in a memorable early role) or doing some of the more emotional work his role requires.

I especially like a scene where Goldie confronts the requisite corrupt white cops that always populate this type of film, and taunts them about how they secretly wish they looked and dressed like him -- a theory which is borne out to some degree in a later grotesque but fascinating scene, where one of the white officers fondles a very curvy black woman in bed.

Superfly on the other hand is essentially a glorified music video. The Curtis Mayfield score is phenomenal -- so there are no huge complaints there -- but there isn't much of a coherent story to support it. The same goes for Ron O'Neal's titular performance. A striking looking actor, with Shakespearean training, he deserved a better film and he is probably the most watchable thing about Superfly, which is so simplistic at times it feels amateurish.

But this was and is a film that is more about what it represents than what it actually is. The finale, which has the drug pusher 'hero' not only beating up the cops but blackmailing them too, would have been a moment of triumph for black audiences in 1972.

And while some may have been perturbed by the lack of judgment the film displays for dealing drugs, Superfly (a.k.a. Priest) is supposed to be a symbol of industriousness in the face of very few options, particularly for men of color in the inner city.

Still, cinematically, it's unbearably dated and slight, while The Mack has more to offer than its soundtrack and style. It shows how bizarre and oddly principled the "pimp game" is -- but it also outlines a still ongoing conversation about the best way for a poor person of color to get over in this world -- legitimately or illegitimately. It's not a masterpiece, but even if it were for that aspect alone, it will be a movie I revisit over the years.