American Gangster

In a previous blog from September I talked about a movie I could not wait for, it was "American Gangster" it finally came out and did not disappoint. Denzel Washington gave one of his best performances as drug kingpin Frank Lucas and definitely deserves an Oscar nomination minimum. Russell Crowe also played great as lawman Ritchie Roberts. The director Ridley Scott brings out the best in both actors and makes a great movie.

The movie is based on the true-story of Frank Lucas played by Denzel Washington who becomes a drug-kingpin in Harlem by selling heroin and imposing his violent will on people who got in his way. He would import heroin in coffins of dead soldiers from Vietnam and sell it in America. He made millions from these heroin trades. This heroin he was selling called Blue Magic was the most pure heroin on the market and was the cheapest. So he made big bucks. He was a big, powerful man who everyone feared but wanted to be like. By now everyone knows that he was arrested and sent to jail but co operated with the police and brought other people down with him. In all he spent 15 years in jail.

Frank took over the streets of Harlem after his boss Bumpy Johnson died. He established himself as a ruthless man who everyone feared but wanted to be like. Even though he was destroying Harlem with his heroin he would still give back by giving away turkeys during Thanksgiving. He claimed to been making $1 million a day from heroin trades. This heroin was coming straight from Vietnam and he was cutting out the middle man causing a lot of hate between him and rival gangs and mafias. Frank would only use his family members in his gang to help protect himself but even that did not help him.

Frank would do whatever it took to make sure he had control. In the movie another drug dealer owed him money and did not pay so he shot him at point blank range in daylight infront of everyone. He wanted people in Harlem who ruled the streets. Also when a group of corrupt cops from NYC tried to extort him he would not let them and sent them a message. He was a true gangster and ruthless one as well.

Even though the movie might have been 2 hours and 40 minutes it does not fell like that at all. The movie moves at a good speed and is definitely worth seeing if you have not already. I would give it a 9/10.