American Pimp (1999)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Directors:

Albert Hughes
Allen Hughes

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Street pimps, all of them African-American, discuss their lives and work: getting started, being flamboyant...

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Money | African American | Whore | Raunchy

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

John S. Dickson	...	Himself (as Rosebudd)
Antonio Fargas	...	Link Brown
Heidi Fleiss	...	Herself (archive footage)
L. Hammond	...	Payroll The Pimp
Hugh M. Hefner	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dennis Hof	...	Himself
The Bishop Don Magic Juan	...	Himself
Max Julien	...	Himself / Goldie
Rudy Ray Moore	...	Dolemite
Conan O'Brien	...	Himself (archive footage)
Roscoe Orman	...	Willie Dynamite
Kenny Redd	...	Himself (as K-Red)
Todd Anthony Shaw	...	Too $hort
Clarence Sims	...	Himself (as Fillmore Slim)
Carol Speed	...	Lulu
Andre Taylor	...	Himself (as Gorgeous Dre)
Mel Taylor	...	Himself
Patrick Hegarty	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Albert Hughes
Allen Hughes

Produced by
Spencer Franklin	....	co-producer
Albert Hughes	....	producer
Allen Hughes	....	producer
Kevin J. Messick	....	producer

Cinematography by
Albert Hughes

Film Editing by
Doug Pray

Sound Department
Ron Bartlett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Yann Delpuech	....	supervising sound effects editor
Ethan Holzman	....	assistant sound editor
Allen Hughes	....	sound
Robin Johnston	....	machine room recordist
Darren King	....	sound editor
Gregory King	....	supervising sound editor
E. Niles Klein	....	sound editorial technical consultant
Aaron Levy	....	sound recordist
Rob Nokes	....	sound editorial technical consultant
Rudy Pi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist (as Joanie Rowe)
Sean Rowe	....	foley artist
Mark Smith	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Switzer	....	post-production sound coordinator
Meg Taylor	....	assistant sound editor
Eric Thompson	....	foley mixer
Steven D. Williams	....	supervising sound editor

Visual Effects by
Christopher Dusendschon	....	in-show optical effects photography: THDX (uncredited)
Christopher Dusendschon	....	optical element Hazeltine colorist: THDX (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Bennett	....	additional photographer
Frank W. Ockenfels III	....	still photographer: black and white (as Frank W. Ockenfels 3)
Sacha Riviere	....	additional first assistant camera
D. Stevens	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Teresa Lang	....	additional editor
Dan Lebental	....	contributing editor
Michael Moncreiff	....	negative cutter
Dana Ross	....	color timer

Music Department
Jason Alexander	....	assistant music supervisor
Sharon Boyle	....	music consultant
Sean Carasov	....	music supervisor
Jonathan Karp	....	music editor
Jill Meyers	....	music business affairs

Transportation Department
Gary Preece	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Keith Barefoot	....	additional crew
Jerry Kitz	....	title designer
F. Stanley Pearse Jr.	....	location manager: New Orleans

Thanks
Eddie Murphy	....	special thanks
David Wirtschafter	....	special thanks (as Dave Wirtschafter)

Production Companies

• Underworld Entertainment

Distributors

• MGM Home Entertainment
• Seventh Art Releasing (2000) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive sexual content including dialogue, strong language and some drug related material.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Underworld Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The World of Austin Powers (2002) (V)

A lurid look at a group of unparalleled villains.

The editing is super-slick in "Pimps", and the subject matter can't help but fascinate. In the end, a viewer feels rather like a co-participant in a freak show. Yet, why dedicate such art, skill and effort (not to mention moolah) to a lot of criminals? There's explicit racism, too; not all pimps are black--not by a long shot. But all pimps are villains--recruiters (almost invariably) of underage girls and boys into the business. There's not a one of them that doesn't commit two or three felonies a week--if not more. But, this documentary does serve up what a documentary is supposed to do--it documents this underbelly of the American underpriviledged. This is the ugly mold that sprouts from the odium of poverty and prejudice, the latter of which is still alive and well, such as recently demonstrated by the likes of Senator Trent Lott.