American Gangster: A Sad Movie

The Movie


To me, not only was Frank Lucas an American gangster, but a mobster too. Why did they decide to make a movie about Frank Lucas? The movie has been bragged about by some. To me, it was not a good movie for the fact that it’s giving Frank Lucas more fame and publicity about the dirt he has done. The movie has planted a seed into my brain. A seed of questions. I have heard from another movie (black film) that the white man started the drugs. The way it looks to me, no race is innocent when it comes to drugs no matter who started it. All people doing crime need to clean up their lives.

Lucas Family


“American Gangster” is a sad movie to me. It was pitiful. Frank Lucas played by Denzel Washington had no heart. He sold drugs and a lot of people died because of his drug trade empire. I could not stand to watch the drug needles being injected into flesh on the screen.
Denzel acting made you see a good side of Lucas because of what he did for his family. You forget the terrible things he was doing in the drug business just for a few seconds. Frank Lucas (Denzel) bought Mama Lucas (Ruby Dee) a big nice home. Watching her be happy made you forget just a little bit. Then Frank Lucas just got worse and kept right on with the drug business. He turned around and got his brothers involved in his drug trade.

Things looked worse as the film rolled. Lucas shot a man in the head right down in the streets according to the movie. Lucas did not care, and he walked back into the restaurant from which he came as if nothing happened. There seemed to be no police around, but troubled seemed to be catching up with Lucas. It was a blessing that his wife did not get hurt, and he did not give his mother a heart attack. Frank Lucas was angry when somebody tried to kill his wife. He was bringing troubles and burdens on himself and his family.


Convicted


It looked as if nobody could catch or touch Lucas for a long time in the movie. He was finally convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to 70 years. Thirty members of Frank’s family were convicted of drug trafficking and sent to prison. Frank’s mother moved back to NC, and Frank’s wife returned to Puerto Rico. Richie (Russell Crowe) who was a detective that caught Frank quit the prosecutor’s office to become a defense attorney. His first client was Frank. Frank’s prison sentence was reduced to fifteen years, and he was released in 1991.

Denzel Washington played a sad story, but he acted the part of Frank Lucas out very well.
The movie is based on a true story. Whether everything in the movie was really true, I don’t know, but the main idea of the story is sad to me.