American Gangster Last Scene

[Ene Vinson]

In2007, Ridley Scott took on the true story of criminal mastermind Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) and the man that brought him down, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), in "American Gangster." Beginning in 1968 and ending in 1991, the film saw Lucas' rise to power and ultimate demise and punishment for his long-running rule of Harlem and the drug enterprise he built there.

The beginning of the end for Frank Lucas all starts with him failing to take his own advice. After demanding that his brother Huey (Chiwetel Ejiofor) dress down in the future to avoid attention, Frank breaks his own rule by wearing a Wookie-sized fur coat at the Fight of the Century, the historical bout between Joe Frazer and Muhammed Ali. The wardrobe choice draws the attention of Richie Roberts, who is fascinated by a man sitting among various famous faces but rows ahead of criminal figures he seems to be on speaking terms with.

Following several attempts on Frank's life and those closest to him, the brains behind Blue Magic gets an even greater headache when he learns the well is at risk of drying up. With the Vietnam War coming to an end, Frank's method of transporting the drugs is about to be barricaded, leading him to make a last-ditch effort to get over as much as possible before he can find an alternative solution. The only issue is that while he's trying to figure that out, another problem is hiding in plane sight (pun intended).

Like clockwork, Richie and his team not only infiltrate Frank's drug manufacturing base in an intense shootout, but make it to Frank in time for church finishing. In a hair-raising moment, Mr. Lucas stands at the chapel steps and is greeted by the man that brought him down. From there, the two have a showdown, not with all guns blazing, but in an interview room over spilled coffee and cigarette smoke. Frank tries to demonstrate his power and the enterprise that will see him safely out of jail, as corrupt as it is. "I took care of Harlem, and now Harlem is going to take care of me," he proclaims, which Richie ignores regardless.

The honest cop with a dishonest private life in a seemingly rotten city explains that the enemies Frank made in his drug business are coming back to collect, and seeing Frank behind bars will be more than enough. From there, Richie cuts his target a deal, asking him to name all the corrupt cops that Frank has been working with. After reluctantly agreeing, a large operation to bring in bad guys with a badge begins, including an old enemy that has been trouble for both Richie and Frank in equal measure.

From here, the always satisfying trope of a crime movie plays out, as all of Richie's hard work pays off. For every cop that's dragged into a patrol car, we see members of Frank's organization stopped by the last few good ones on the force. The pinboard Richie's team was working on quickly becomes a collage with the help of Lucas, who slowly but surely became pally with the men that brought him in. It's a partnership that pays off massively for all, not including slick-sneaky Nick Trupo, who, rather than be sentenced to time behind bars, takes the coward's way out and kills himself in his home.

From here, "American Gangster" rounds up all the outcomes of those involved and the thorough dismantling of Lucas' reign over Harlem. Thanks to his cooperation, his initial sentencing of 70 years in jail is dropped to 15, with the help of Richie, who acts as his attorney and makes Frank his first client after changing professions (which really happened). Lucas was released in 1991, but with barely a penny of the $250 million that was obtained following the investigation. Instead, the final scene shows Lucas walking out onto an empty street, but there's no fanfare waiting for a former king of Harlem, and a generation clueless to the former life of a real American Gangster.

American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian. The film is loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by Newark Detective Richie Roberts. The film stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, with co-stars Ted Levine, John Ortiz, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ruby Dee, Lymari Nadal and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Development for the film initially began in 2000, when Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment purchased the rights to a New York magazine story about the rise and fall of Lucas. Two years later, screenwriter Steven Zaillian introduced a 170-page scriptment to Scott. Original production plans were to commence in Toronto for budget purposes; however, production eventually relocated permanently to New York City. Because of the film's rising budget Universal canceled production in 2004. After negotiations with Terry George, it was later revived with Scott at the helm in March 2005. Principal photography commenced over a period of five months from July to December 2006; filming took place throughout New York City and concluded in Thailand.

American Gangster premiered in New York on October 20, 2007, and was released in the United States on November 2. The film was well received by critics and grossed over $266 million worldwide. Many of the people portrayed, including Roberts and Lucas, have stated that the film took much creative license with the story, and three former DEA agents sued Universal claiming the agency's portrayal was demoralizing. American Gangster was nominated for twenty-one awards, including two Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Supporting Actress for Ruby Dee, who also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

In 1968, Frank Lucas is the right-hand man of Harlem mob boss Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. When Johnson dies of a heart attack, Frank enters the heroin trade, buying directly from producers in Thailand and smuggling it into the U.S. through returning Vietnam War servicemen. Frank sells his heroin under the brand "Blue Magic", whose affordability and purity make it incredibly popular, eliminating much of his competition.

Newark Detective and aspiring lawyer Richie Roberts is ostracized in his precinct after handing in almost $1 million that he found in a mobster's car. Captain Lou Toback puts Roberts in charge of a special task force that targets major drug suppliers, after Roberts' partner overdoses on Blue Magic. Roberts is also depicted having a bitter divorce battle with his ex-wife over his infidelity.

Frank's heroin racket prospers; he eventually sells Blue Magic wholesale to many dealers in the New York Tri-State Area and expands his distribution through other criminal organisations. With this monopoly, Frank becomes Harlem's top crime lord, opening legitimate business fronts and maintaining a low profile, while befriending politicians and famous celebrities (such as Joe Louis). He buys a mansion for his mother and recruits his five brothers as his lieutenants. Frank eventually falls in love with and marries Eva, a Puerto Rican beauty queen. He attends the Fight of the Century with her, where Roberts spots Frank, notices he has better seats than the Italian mobsters, and begins investigating him. Frank also comes to odds with competing local gangster Nicky Barnes; corrupt NYPD detective Nick Trupo, who is among many people Frank is forced to bribe; and the Corsican mafia, who unsuccessfully attempt to assassinate Frank and his wife for putting them out of business.

One night, Roberts' detectives witness one of Frank's cousins, Jimmy Zee, shoot his girlfriend; he becomes their informant in lieu of being convicted. They make Jimmy wear a wire, through which they learn that Frank has negotiated one final shipment of heroin after the fall of Saigon. They identify and search one of the last planes carrying Lucas' stock, discovering that it is being smuggled through the coffins of dead servicemen. They follow the drugs into Newark's projects and obtain a warrant to raid Frank's heroin processing facility, which results in the death of Frank's nephew Stevie Lucas and the arrest of Frank's brother Huey. They then arrest the other four brothers, and finally Frank himself.

During a trial against Frank, Roberts offers him a chance at leniency if he will help him expose corrupt police officers, to which Frank agrees. Following Frank's cooperation, three-quarters of the New York DEA and many NYPD officers are arrested and convicted, while Trupo commits suicide. Roberts becomes a defense attorney and has Frank as his first client. Frank is sentenced to 70 years in prison, of which he serves 15 years and is released in 1991.

In 2000, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment purchased the rights to "The Return of Superfly", by Mark Jacobson, an article published in New York magazine story about the rise and fall of the 1970s heroin kingpin Frank Lucas.[3] In 2002, screenwriter Steven Zaillian brought a 170-page script to director Ridley Scott, who expressed interest in making two films from it. However, Scott did not immediately pursue the project, choosing to make Kingdom of Heaven instead. In November 2003, Universal and Imagine entered negotiations with Brian De Palma to direct Tru Blu, with a script by Zaillian based on the life of Frank Lucas.[4][5] Zaillian interpreted the account as one of "American business and race", focusing the script thematically on corporate business.[6] Production was initially slated for a spring 2004 start.[4]

In March 2004, the studio entered new negotiations with Antoine Fuqua to direct, as well as Denzel Washington to star in the film as Frank Lucas.[7] The following May, Benicio del Toro entered negotiations to star as Detective Richie Roberts, who brought down Lucas. Production of Tru Blu was reset to begin in early fall 2004, with the film slated for a release date of June 3, 2005.[8] In September 2004, Dania Ramirez entered negotiations to join the cast of the film, now titled American Gangster.[9]

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