9. American Gangster (Ridley Scott, 2007)
The Subject Frank Lucas, a Harlem crime kingpin, and Richie Roberts, the detective and later defensive attorney intent on bringing him down.
The Story (According To The Film) Former limo driver Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) begins to take control of the Harlem criminal underworld, masterminding the importation of high quality Heroin from Thailand to sell on the streets at a lower price than the inferior product sold by his competitors. He quickly establishes a monopoly and becomes rich and powerful in the process, building up a vast property and nightclub empire. Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is one of few honest cops in his precinct and seeks to bring down drug suppliers following the death of his addicted partner. Contending with corrupt officers, he becomes aware of Lucas operation and eventually takes it down. After failing to bribe Roberts whilst in custody, Lucas instead decides to provide evidence against corrupt officers and federal agents, leading to the arrests of 75% of New Yorks DEA operatives. Roberts opts to quit policing and become a defence lawyer, taking on Lucas as his first client.
The Lies The film portrays Lucas in a somewhat sympathetic light, glossing over the fact that he was described in reality as being illiterate, vicious, violent, and everything Denzel Washington was not by one of the judges involved in bringing him to justice. Other falsehoods featured in the film include: The implication that Lucas collaboration was responsible for the indictment of several corrupt DEA agents, something that is wholly inaccurate. The showcasing of Lucas as the right-hand man of 60s gangster Bumpy Johnson and as the mastermind of the method used by his organisation to smuggle heroin into the States, both of which are disputed by one of his biographers. The portrayal of Roberts as being embroiled in a child custody battle, when he in fact had no children at the time.