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What would Hollywood be without a good ole Blaxploitation film? And now that “They Cloned Tyrone” has hit Netflix screens, conversations about the Blaxploitation movies that crawled so that “They Cloned Tyrone” could pimp walk have come to the forefront.

Juel Taylor’s film welcomes watchers to The Glen, a normal, everyday neighborhood where its predominately Black residents live out their lives shopping, going to church and enjoying the fruits of their labor. However, beneath the surface, but right in front of their eyes, the government is executing a plot to keep the community in an endless cycle of unhealthy behavior that ultimately blocks them from mental and financial wellness.

Like many Blaxploitation films, “They Cloned Tyrone” creatively calls out and highlights the systemic issues Black community faces while also celebrating Black culture and Black people’s perseverance.

When “They Cloned Tyrone” hit Netflix, people online began discussing the films that influenced it,...

There is a fine line between stereo-typing and the honest portrayal of criminals in cinema. Films such as Public Enemy (1931), Goodfellas, and both versions of Scarface (1932 and 1983) are examples of films both under attack and praised for its portrayal of criminals. Brian De Palma’s version of Scarface especially divides audiences and critics as to whether the character of Cuban import Tony Montana is a racial caricature or an honest look at greed and corruption. Blaxploitation cinema’s portrayal of criminals is no different drawing criticism from the African-American community, especially Rev. Jesse Jackson and the NAACP. The pimps and drug pushers in Blaxploitation cinema are considered just the same, walking the line of stereo-type and being socially conscious.

#5 The Candy Tangerine Man (1975)

Written by Mikel Angel

Directed by Matt Cimber

“Your cash ain’t nothin’ but trash.”

The Baron is a Sunset Blvd pimp that pushes his women to...

The Mack

Directed by Michael Campos

Screenplay by Max Julien, Richard Pryor & Robert J. Poole

1973, USA

Set in Oakland, California, The Mack was the highest-grossing blaxploitation film of its time, and the story behind the making of the film is perhaps more interesting than the actual movie itself. Rumour has it that screenwriter Robert J. Poole started developing the treatment and script on toilet paper while he was in prison, and later passed it on to Max Julien and Richard Pryor, who wrote the final draft. The film is notorious for featuring the first ever Players’ Ball, and along with Julien and Pryor, the film also featured real life criminals, including the legendary Ward brothers. The production was plagued with problems: Richard Pryor’s notorious behaviour and drug habit led him to be kicked off set after assaulting the director – Frank Ward was murdered during filming and The Black Panthers...