American Gangster

The film American Gangster was released on November 2nd, 2007 and was directed by Ridley Scott. The movie was based on the book The Return of Superfly by Mark Jacobson. Some of the principle actors in the movie were: Russell Crowe as Detective Richard “Richie” Roberts, Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Leroy Nicholas “Nicky” Barnes. The film is well-known as a mobster film because it based on the true story of Frank Lucas and the drug rings in Harlem. In the film, both the

The film, American Gangster, directed and produced by Ridley Scott is a drama based on the biography of Frank Lucas. In the movie, Frank Lucas constructs his own business of illegal work after his boss, Bumpy Johnson, passes away. Frank builds a heroin business, following in the footsteps of Bumpy, and becomes the most powerful crime boss in Manhattan. Furthermore, because of Frank’s immoral ways, he gets caught by the police and is sentenced to 15 years in prison. As the movie progresses I form

During the Vietnam War in the 1970s, hard drugs, especially heroin and cocaine, became a major source of crime and, therefore, police and legal system involvement. Was this involvement always a good thing though? The 2007 movie, American Gangster, addresses this very question by looking at law enforcement agencies during the 1970s, along with the corruption involved with police departments at this point in history. The particular corrupted agency focused on in the film is the New York Police Department

The Popularity of Gangster Films in the Early Nineteen-Thirties The late 1920s in America was a particularly tumultuous period of time for the country. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 had led to high levels of unemployment and dissatisfaction within the country. The Depression (1929-1934), which was a direct result of The Wall Street Crash, led to a breakdown of industry and commerce within the country and weakened its global position

Without sound, the gangster films could not come to life. It was the 1930s that the events of the prohibition era such as bootlegging and the St. Valentines Day Massacre of 1929, and the existence of real life gangsters and the rise of contemporary organized crime helped to encourage this genre. The talkies are accounted for the rise of crime films. The first talkie “100% all talking” picture and, of course, the first sound gangster film was The Lights of New York in 1928. Martin

Idealized as the symbolic figure for obedience and domesticity, the power of society’s gender expectations has dictated a woman’s identity. A dominate belief held throughout American history, these traditional femininity norms were and still are reinforced by immigrant communities today. Nonetheless, what often goes unacknowledged are the stories of those female immigrant youths, Pachuca’s or female gang members, who have rejected societies beliefs to construct new identities centered around hyper-masculine

New York and Philadelphia were also increasingly homogenous. Asian triads, Italian mafia, Irish and Jewish gangs were all incestuous organizations with ethnically homogenous core. Thus, Johnny Torrio and Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit was an Italian American gang. Their rivals, the North Side Gang, were primarily individuals of Irish descent. Westside O’Donnells and Southside O’Donnells also comprised mobsters who were most often of Irish origin. Hence, most gangs were based on the perceived bonds of

Al Capone is one of America's most feared, greatest-known gangsters and the utmost symbol of the fail of law and order in the United States during the 1920’s Prohibition era. Alphonse Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Naples, Italy. He and his family later immigrated to the United States. They settled in Brooklyn, New York (“Capone, Alphonse”). Al Capone was a ruthless, violent, horrifying gangster. He was very organized and set on his high income. In 1920’s and 1930’s, Capone was the most

The United States of America faces a highly complex problem that is threatening to destroy the fabric of its unique urban society. This problem has been developing for many years and has become entwined into the core of American society to such a point where it has virtually become accepted as the norm to the millions of people whose quality of life has been greatly reduced by it. The problem in its most simple form is crime, however, this is evident as a problem that

released in 2000. A thrilling action film, it was a huge success, scooping five Oscars and earning over $427 million dollars. Sir Ridley Scott- who directed the film-already had many great films to his name, such as ‘Alien’, ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘American Gangster’, so it was no surprise when this film became one of the highest earners of the year 2000. The mise-en-scene used throughout was, perhaps, behind the genius that made this film as much of a success today as it was nine years ago. An example