When people speak of organized crime, the Italian mafia typically comes to mind with a Sicilian boss reminiscent of Michael Corleone. But during the 1960s, the backdrop of Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster,” New York City housed a black boss who not only revolutionized the heroin trade that swept the five boroughs, but did so with such humbleness that for many years he didn’t get caught.
A film so beautifully written that it romanticizes the maliciousness of drug lord Frank Lucas’ existence, “American Gangster” defines itself as one of the best gangster films of all time. Mixing brazen violence with compelling imagery and plot lines, Scott creates a brilliant adaptation. His use of foreshadowing and visual motifs throughout the film further confirm Scott’s technique.

The film has grossed more money for mega-stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe than any film in their careers, closing its second week of release at $80 million.
The film opens with Lucas (Washington) watching his men cover a man with gasoline. He lights his cigar and throws the lighter toward the man, who becomes engulfed in flames. Within seconds, we know Lucas is a bad ass. Washington embodies a gangster identity with his towering demeanor and zeal.
Lucas grew up learning the streets, acquiring a vengeance for corrupt cops. Crooked police officers outweighed noble ones in the city, and it was typical for them to control the drug trade. They would confiscate the dealers’ goods, cut the drugs with chemicals to conserve the heroin and resell them to the same dealers at increased prices.
Crowe stars as Jewish detective Richie Roberts, who challenges himself to solve the city’s drug epidemic. Roberts is one of the few cops who actually practices law enforcement – he turns in $1 million of dirty money only to receive glares from fellow officers – and devotes his existence to uncovering the mobster who is exploiting the welfare of the community to satisfy his greed.
Lucas knows he can capitalize on the current state of the city’s heroin market if he buys directly from the source. He flies to Southeast Asia, where U.S. Army bases thrive amidst the Vietnam war. The film depicts the thousands of U.S. soldiers who became addicted to heroin while deployed abroad and subsequently aided the importation of the drug from Vietnam to the U.S. for more than 10 years. Lucas uses the coffins of American soldiers to confiscate “Blue Magic.”
Frank’s “Blue Magic” was 100 percent pure heroin, a quality that the drug users of New York had never before seen. As soon as his brand hit the streets, money, street power and socialite status seamlessly follow.
The fall of Lucas’ heroin monopoly is foreshadowed early in the film when Frank chastises his cousin for wearing a flashy suit to a party, saying that he never wants to solicit attention to himself. This same night, Lucas meets his Puerto Rican lover who later surprises him with a mink coat. The night he wears the glamorous coat, Roberts and a couple corrupt cops initially take notice of him exchanging remarks with other crime bosses, thus detecting that Lucas must have a stake in the heroin trade.
The score throughout the film resembles the classic love theme carried throughout “The Godfather” trilogy but with an upbeat, urban tempo.
Scott, who has directed classics across film genres including “Gladiator,” “Thelma and Louise” and “Alien,” created a film so effective that viewers will say good-bye to Lucas after the nearly three hour-long film wishing there was more. Like David Chase, the director of “The Sopranos,” Scott provides smart insight into the protagonist’s persona, allowing viewers to excuse the malicious intent and greed inherent in Lucas; he humanizes him.
“American Gangster” will be a prime candidate for Best Picture this year, and will continue to woo audiences for years to come.
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