AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007)

"What Would Happen If A Ruthless Gangster Ran His Drug Organization Like A Discount Store?"

• This movie exposes the Widespread Corruption of Police and Federal Officials in the NY/NJ Metro Area

• Lots of Drug Use....."Just Say No!"

This movie takes place in the 1960's.....Everybody was smokin' something back then.

• Lots of Nekkid Hoes doing what Nekkid Hoes are Good at!

Danny doesn't approve of Hoes..... unless they are Nekkid Hoes!

• Lots of guys using the word "Niggas".....but don't call Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson quite yet! Since it's mostly the Black Guys saying it to each other.....it means that this movie is Very Politically Correct!

Running Time: 177 Minutes (Extended Version)

"Danny's Personal Feelings About
American Gangster"

Featured Movie Review:
AMERICAN GANGSTER

"There are Two Sides to the
American Dream"

So many of his movies are personal favorites of mine:


• Alien — 1979


• Blade Runner — 1982


• Black Rain — 1989


• Gladiator — 2000


• Hannibal — 2001


• Black Hawk Down — 2001


• Kingdom of Heaven — 2005


Alien was always my dad's favorite Science Fiction Movie and he was a big fan of Blade Runner too.

After watching the Epic Crime Movie, American Gangster, I'm starting to realize what a great director Ridley Scott is.

He's able to tell a great story, with compelling characters that audiences find interesting and are willing to pay to see.

He does tons of preparations before he starts any of his movies.....this ensures that he gets the performances he wants on time and on budget.

Ridley Scott is one of the few directors today who is trusted by movie studios to put together an Epic Movie that will turn in a profit.

The last two great Epic Movies Ridley Scott directed were Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.

Ridley Scott is the older brother of movie director Tony Scott!

If you don't know, Tony Scott directed some great movies himself:


• Top Gun — 1986


• Beverly Hills Cop II — 1987


• The Last Boy Scout — 1991


• True Romance — 1993


• Crimson Tide — 1995


• Enemy of the State — 1998


• Man on Fire — 2004


• The Warriors — 2008 (Remake of the Great Cult Movie from 1979!)

"American Gangster Is A First Rate
Historical Crime Movie"

Not to mention that it's based on real events that occurred in the late 60's and into the 1970's in New York and New Jersey.

Danny lived in New Jersey until the age of 30.....and I have to admit that I never heard of Frank Lucas until I saw American Gangster.

Not that I was some kind of thug growing up. I didn't hang out with criminals or anything like that.....but Danny has Eyes and Ears.

I knew the names and the reputations of some of the big-time criminals that operated in the NY/NJ area.

Some of the criminals were Black, some Puerto Rican and Dominican....but the guys I mostly heard of were Italian. Perhaps I heard of these guys because that's how they wanted it.....they wanted to be known.

The first name that comes to mind is John Gotti.....who the media referred to as "The Dapper Don" or "The Teflon Don."

Gotti who was sent to prison (and eventually died there) for running The Gambino Crime Family in New York City.

Gotti was a Media-Friendly Gangster.....which is why the Federal Government zeroed in on him and used a lot of resources to put him away.

However.....

"Frank Lucas Was Much Smarter Than
The Average Gangster"

He didn't try to be the "Loudest Guy in the Room."

In fact, his downfall came in his One and only moment of weakness: He attended the high-profile Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier Heavyweight Fight that was held at Madison Square Garden in 1971.

He went to this fight in a Mink Coat and Hat!

It was his girlfriend Eva "Miss Puerto Rico" Kendo (played by the beautiful Lymari Nadal) that convinced Lucas to wear that stupid looking coat.

Frank Lucas has cursed that Goddamn Mink Coat ever since.

Danny knows this because the "Real" Frank Lucas is still alive and was a consultant on American Gangster.

And the detective who eventually put Frank Lucas in prison is still alive and he also consulted on American Gangster.

The detective's name is Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe)

I need to take a moment to talk about.....

"Lymari Nadal — aka Miss Puerto Rico"

Lymari Nadal was 28-Years-Old when she filmed her scenes in American Gangster in 2006.

Guess who she's married to.....Edward James Olmos! (new window)

Now I love Edward James Olmos.....he's a Great Actor.

He was great in Stand and Deliver and in the New Battlestar Galactica series.

But Olmos is a Fuckin' Dinosaur.....he is 31 years older than Lymari Nadal!!!

He's a Fuckin' Fossil! He's an Ancient Mummy! He really should be Stuffed and Mounted at the same Museum that owns King Tut's remains!

Have you seen his face lately.....it's covered in Wrinkles and Moon Craters!

It must of been Love at First Sight between the two of them, right?

What other explanation could there possibly be for this Smokin' Hot Latina to marry an Old Man that probably has to get up a dozen times in the middle of the night to take a piss?

And while we're on the subject.....

Why would Catherine Zeta-Jones marry Michael Douglas?

Why would Anna Nicole Smith marry that old Oil Billionaire?

"Danny's Final Solution" I guess it's pretty obvious that Danny is Super-Fuckin' Jealous that these Old Walking Zombies can have any Hot Young Woman they want. That means there's only one solution for Danny.....Danny must become Super Wealthy too! That's the only Logical Solution for Danny to be Completely Satisfied! This way when I become a Worn-Out Antique of a human being myself.....I can still have some Hot Ass to keep me company while I decay in my Underground Crypt!

I would make her Scream Out "Ai Pappi" all night long while I'm giving her a taste of Danny's Baby Gravy!

Damn, that wasn't very nice. I'm ashamed of myself.....Seriously.

Back to American Gangster.....

"Frank Lucas Ran His Drug Empire
Like A Fortune 500 Corporation"

He almost never let his emotions dictate his actions.....the exception being when his mother and wife were in danger.

One of my personal areas of interest has been business. I didn't go to business school (I studied Computer Engineering).....but I always thought that Business School would've been a good fit for me.

And the way I've always envisioned myself running my business is the way that Frank Lucas runs his business.....minus the executions, of course.

Danny would never resort to murder to make money.....Danny is a Gentleman!

Frank Lucas, to me, is a lot like Vito and Michael Corleone from The Godfather movies.

Frank Lucas believes in Capitalism....Supply and Demand.

He runs his own company and that company sells a product that's in high demand.....Heroin. He finds a inexpensive source of Heroin and he figures out how to get it into the United States at a reduced cost.

This allows him to sell High-Quality Heroin at half the price of his competition .....The Italian Mafia.

Frank Lucas' company is exactly like WalMart or Target.....because he buys Directly from the manufacturer and refuses to deal with any Middlemen, he is able cut his expenses and Underprice his competition.

Of course.....

"The Reality Of Frank Lucas' Business
Is That It Is Highly Illegal"

Bribery is the only way that Lucas can stay in business.

Which is why he's not prepared to deal with someone like Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe).

Roberts was a Narcotics cop who worked in Newark, New Jersey in the 60's and 70's.

I grew up near Newark (in Elizabeth, NJ) and I went to college in Newark.

Newark was a Toilet! Some parts of it still is!

The city literally stunk like a sewer because both the Passaic River and the Newark Bay are so Polluted.

And there were Drug Addicts and Gang-Bangers EVERYWHERE!

Newark has improved it's Infrastructure over the years.....torn down the old housing projects and put up Condos in it's place.

Got some new businesses to re-invest into the Newark economy again.

The only problem is the People are still the same.....the pimps, hoes, drug dealers, drug addicts and gangs are still there.

There are still some parts of Newark that you do NOT want to accidentally wander into..... even during the day time!

You can see a lot of Newark throughout The Sopranos series.

We understand this when we see Roberts do something incredibly honest.....and incredibly stupid! He hands over a suitcase filled with drug money (almost $1 Million) to his superiors rather than keep it for himself.

That one Honest Act haunts Roberts for a long time because he proves to his fellow officers that he's not "Down with the Program" of taking bribes.

As it turns out, a huge bulk of the Drug Enforcement Agency stationed in the NY/NJ area are either on the Mob Payroll or they're Drug Dealers themselves.

As it turns out.....

"Richie Roberts Is The Only Cop Willing
To Destroy Frank Lucas' Organization"

It takes Roberts years before he even realizes that the new high-potency heroin that's flooding the streets is coming from Frank Lucas.

Remember, Lucas stays low key and out of sight.

But when Lucas shows up at that Ali-Frazier Fight with that Stupid Fuckin' Coat and Hat.....he realizes too late that he made a big mistake!

Everyone in the arena was curious about Frank Lucas.

Including Richie Roberts, who started asking people who that Pimp "wanna-be" in the stupid hat was?

The crooked cops in NY, who only extorted the Italians, wanted to know who that Pimp "wanna-be" in the stupid hat was?

That one single lapse in Judgment dumps a World of Trouble on Frank Lucas' doorstep.

Honestly though, Danny hasn't spoiled a thing.....all I've done, hopefully, is to get you excited to see this movie if you haven't already.

There is a lot more to American Gangster that Danny didn't even mention!

But one thing that Danny will mention is that.....

"Denzel Washington And Russell Crowe
Are Perfect In This Movie"

But I didn't feel it go by....I swear! The story in American Gangster had me hooked from the very beginning.

I'm now going to make a point of learning more about the "Real" Frank Lucas and the "Real" Richie Roberts.

While American Gangster is based on a True Story and it qualifies as a Historical Epic Movie.....it's still only a movie.

I'm sure plenty of "Artistic License" was used to increase the drama in American Gangster.

I doubt that the Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts characters, as portrayed in American Gangster, are actually how they were in real life.....I'm sure some adjustments were made during pre-production to make these Two Lead Characters more "Likable".

But as far as Epic/Crime movies go, American Gangster is the best Epic/Crime Movie since Heat and Casino.....which were both released back in 1995.

Russell Crowe, who just recently did a Great Western Movie called
3:10 to Yuma, is great as the Flawed Cop who just will not quit hunting Frank Lucas.

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are two of my favorite actors. They're both Professionals and they always give High-Quality Performances.

Both of them are Academy Award Winners and both of them are highly regarded for their Body of Work.

Washington and Crowe did a sci-fi movie together in 1995 called Virtuosity!

Back then Crowe was still trying to make a name for himself in the United States.

"Danny Had Never Heard Of Frank Lucas Or Richie Roberts Before Watching American Gangster"

I still cannot believe that I never heard of Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts before and the "Butterfly Effect" they had in the area that Danny grew up in.

Both of them are not particularly liked in New York....there actions cost cops, mobsters and politicians a lot of money and damaged their reputations.

Again.....that's just Danny's guess.

I made a similar guess in 2003, after watching the Martin Scorsese Epic/Crime Movie Gangs of New York.

Before I saw Gangs of New York, I never knew that there were Race Riots in New York City.

One of the main reasons why I love movies so much is that, every once in a while, I learn someone that I didn't know before.

And while I don't consider Historical Epic Movies to be actual history lessons..... they do inspire me to do my own research and learn more.

1. You can learn more about Frank Lucas at Wikipedia! (new window)

2. You can learn more about Richie Roberts at Wikipedia! (new window)

3. American Gangster is based on an article written by Mark Jacobson. The title of the article is The Return of Superfly.
   • You can read the original article at NYmag.com! (new window)

"CAST

OF

AMERICAN GANGSTER"

Danny's Top 5 Cool Movie Quotes!

Fifteen years, eight months and nine days, I was with him every day. I worked for him, I protected him, I looked after him, I learned from him.

Bumpy was rich, but he wasn't white man rich, you see? He wasn't wealthy. He didn't own his own company. He thought he did, but he didn't, he just managed it.

The white man owned it, so they owned him.

Nobody owns me, though. That's 'cause I own my own company, and my company sells a product that's better than the competition, at a price that's lower than the competition.

The most important thing in business is honesty, integrity, hard work, family, never forgetting where we came from.

See, you are what you are in this world, that's either one of two things. Either you're somebody, or you're nobody.

Now he's got the stick, and the cane, he'll use it! If he has to. But most times he doesn't have to. He moves the whole herd quietly.

Judges, lawyers, cops, politicians, prison guards, probation officers.

They stop bringing dope into this country, about 100,000 people are going to be out of a job.

Normal is seeing the police right up to my house dragging my little 12-year-old cousin out, tying him to a pole, shoving a shotgun in his mouth so hard they bust his teeth. Then they bust two shotgun shells in his head and knock his fucking head off. That's what normal is to me.

I didn't give a fuck about no [slaps his coffee off the table] police then. I don't give a fuck about no police now. Shit.

You know what, you can do whatever you want to do. So, it don't mean nothing to me for you to show up tomorrow morning with your head blown off. Do you understand what I'm saying?

Detective Richie Roberts: Yeah, Frank. Get in line. That one stretches around the block, too.

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