VS 
…anyone else see a striking similarity in these posters?
This weekend the silver screen will pit Harlem Drug Kingpin Frank Lucas against Harlem Drug Kingpin Nicky Barnes. “American Gangster”, a Ridley Scott film starring two titans of Hollywood in Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, will open theatres nationwide this weekend. In the film Denzel plays a self-made kingpin in Harlem who started off as a No.2 “henchman” and quickly rose to power once he realized he could skip the middle man and import heroin from Southeast Asia; heroin that was both better and cheaper than the competition. A move that proved most lucrative.
Russell Crowe plays Ritchie Roberts, an honest cop from New Jersey who heads up a special police task force in charge of finding the source and eventually dismantling the heroin trade, which was thriving in New York City. His investigation leads him to Frank Lucas who for the most part created the appearance of a legitimate businessman. (Relax…no spoilers here, fam). While all major theatres will be showcasing “American Gangster”, a less glossy film, “Mr. Untouchable”, will be playing in select cities across the nation. “Mr. Untouchable” is a Mark Levin documentary about Nicky Barnes who was at the time Frank Lucas’ nemesis on the streets of Harlem. While Frank Lucas managed to go mostly beneath the radar, Nicky always liked to be in the spotlight. His exposure and charisma with the public landed him on the cover of New York Times magazine. The documentary features the story as told by Nickey Barnes himself who is now in witness protection after having cut a deal with the government in exchange for his testimony. In it he gives his account of the flashy and ruthless sides of being a man in his position. You also have interviews with cops, reporters, and prosecutors who covered the “crime-beat” during that time. While neither film glamorizes or condones the choices made by these “gangsters”, it does offer insight into two men who managed to reach heights of criminal success traditionally associated with Italian organized crime or the “mafia”. Both films also offer an array of beautiful shots of Harlem. Below are early reviews for both movies. I hope to offer a review of both films after the weekend.
“American Gangster” Movie Review (Variety)
“Mr. Untouchable” Movie Review (NYTimes)
Related Articles…
Two New Films Purport to Feature Harlem’s Biggest ’70S Drug Kingpin (NYPost)
Coming Clean on Dirty Business (NYSun)
Look out for “American Gangster” (NYDailyNews)
Denzel is an American Movie Star (NYDaily News)
Posted on October 29, 2007 by illoquentgent