Mandingo

On a fading southern plantation, patriarch Warren Maxwell pushes his heir to wed and sire a successor. Hammond agrees to marry his cousin Blanche, yet returns from the wedding with a far more troubling arrangement. He purchases a sex slave to satisfy his appetites and acquires a slave named Mede to be bred and trained as a prize fighter, a symbol of the estate's ruthless power. The tense mix of duty, wealth, and domination exposes brutal routines that underpin plantation life. As old loyalties collide with private hunger, the Maxwell family sits under pressure that uncovers moral rot, coercion, and the limits of control. The dynamic between Hammond and his father frames a clash between wealth and impulse, creating tension.

Directed by Richard Fleischer, Mandingo adapts Kyle Onstott's sprawling novel with a screenplay by Norman Wexler. It arrived in 1975 as a bold drama that tests endurance as a period piece and confrontation, with lush location work and historical texture.

Box office figures for Mandingo are not included in the provided data, and no official grosses are listed here. Some sources note it drew significant attention during its release period. Its marketing marketed controversy as much as the drama itself.

Mandingo sparked controversy upon release for its blunt portrayal of slavery and sexual exploitation within a plantation setting, prompting debates about race, power, and representation in 1970s cinema. Its scarlet covers and tabloid notoriety helped define an era of exploitation cinema, drawing curious crowds to a stark confrontation of power.

Critical responses were widely divided, with some critics calling it a blunt look at wealth and domination while others accused it of sensationalism. The core themes center on power, control, loyalty, and the moral rot that sustains a brutal social system. The film's closing moments linger with questions about guilt.