THANK YOU FOR ALL THE VIEWS and ENGAGEMENT, since so many of you logged in and watched, I have been hard at work making a new Video about WOODY ALLEN and his BEST MOVIE. So, Stay Tuned!
For the people who continue mentioning the chinchilla fur coat - Frank didn't want to wear it. It was a gift his wife bought for him and she was the one who pushed him to go out looking rather very eye catching. At one point, he finds out that this is the start to his downfall. It wasn't his own actions that led him to getting caught, but rather the people around him that are clueless, like his wife, or reckless, like his family and brothers, that led to his ultimate demise.
Try to watch real interviews with F.L. before he passed away. He contradicts parts of the movie there. As well as this movie was made, parts were embellished to sensationalize him. Only God and Lucas will ever know the truth about what happened.
@Andrew McCall Jr. The point being when you draw attention to yourself you invite jelousy, envy and being that they were involved in illegal activities it will make people question how you obtained your status.
My favourite ironic moment in the movie was Frank always being very discrete in dress and method, but the one time he flexes his wealth and dresses up with the flashy furcoat his wife gave him and sitting frontrow ahead of even the mobsters, he gets caught.
@@o-wolf Like Deniro in Casino. She kept stealing money to give to her pimp bf. Went to his safety deposit box and jacked all his shit, doing cocaine around her daughter and leaving the baby alone while she went for drinks and more cocaine.
This movie was the last true gangster flick. They don't make them like this anymore. Wasn't romanticized or stylized, rather hyper realistic. Amazing film.
This was a great summary of the battle between Lucas and Roberts, but it fundamentally overlooks what I would argue is one of the greatest ironies of the film: that Roberts and Lucas are both fighting against corrupt systems by becoming their leaders. Lucas cuts out the middle-man and becomes more powerful than the mafia, only to be cut down by Roberts, a good cop. Meanwhile Roberts takes a stand against corruption in the police force and gets his partner killed, only to be helped in the end by Lucas, one of the most brutal criminals he's ever faced.
Bullshit in real life dude was a country bumpkin douche. He was loud and obnoxious. His attitude still sucked even into old age. The real Rick Ross said he was a douchebag.
Yeah, but he didn't want to. It was a gift from his wife and he wore it for her, against his better judgment. He knows that coat exposed him and he burns it.
@erozpl01 actually it wasn't the coat what exposed him. It was his sit place at that boxing match. He was sitting to close to the ring and even in front of Dominic Cattano (Armand Assante). That's 100 times more suspect than a 50.000 dollars coat.
He could have said it was just a fake fur. The seat position is what exposed him since he was right at the front. How can you miss someone at the front?
I found Frank Lucas's character compelling because it was very positive qualities that made him such a good criminal. He was intelligent, conscientious, careful, thoughtful, but still capable of decisive action. With a different life mentor he probably could have become a fantastic army officer or successful legitimate businessman.
FRANK FRANKLIN Agreed also what he was doing was illegal that was the main factor holding him back. He didn’t go to jail because he was black although he shouldn’t have worn that coat and hat.
He really wasn’t..this movie is very inaccurate and lucas was a tough kid who could barely read or count . Hollywood painted this inaccurate picture of lucas .
One of the things that makes this screenplay so effective and engaging is that, within the first 15 minutes, the audience is introduced to the economics of the heroin trade and all the characters' roles in it through dialog and character interaction. Without a major exposition dump, you feel the ingenuity of Frank's business model as he's developing it, and understand how he becomes such a dominant kingpin so fast.
The original screenplay True Blue is better than this and was more in tune with movies like Once Upon A Time In America, The Godfather, etc... While American Gangster is a good movie the cop story line drags it down IMO The cop storyline should not have even shown up in the movie until the last 30 minutes but Russell Crowe wasn't going to play in the movie unless he had equal screen time.
The original screenplay True Blue is better than this and was more in tune with movies like Once Upon A Time In America, The Godfather, etc... While American Gangster is a good movie the cop story line drags it down IMO The cop storyline should not have even shown up in the movie until the last 30 minutes but Russell Crowe wasn't going to play in the movie unless he had equal screen time.
Also notice that from the very beginning Lucas is brutal and cold. He burns a man alive and then shoots him. He shoots a man in public, and even smashes his own cousins head with a piano. Through all his charisma you can see deep below their is a monster brewing. But he keeps a lid, only using force when necessary. Showing he is calculated and collected about his attacks, he choses when to strike, a true mastermind.
Only just had this recommended to me ! Man beautifully written and put together. Well above the grade I'd expect from a channel with such low subs, I feel this will take off very soon only 40k views.
The most beautiful element of this film is the respect. Respect when portraying the 2 main characters, mutual respect between the 2, respect in each one's beliefs and lifestyle. Truly, a masterpiece. Amazing analysis in this video.
A ton of symbolism in this movie. Both characters have television. One's fancy, the other's most basic. Even lines being spoken on TV are subtext. One buys the best piano without even thinking, the other occupies a church with a piano that probably doesn't even play properly. The film is so full of subtle cues about the connection between 2 men, that they feel connected, despite barely even encountering eachother. 2 men. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason and doing the wrong thing for the right reason. Both experience a revelation. Richie in the court room with his wife, and frank with his mother. Points where both characters realize their imperfections and begin progression to being better men. The movie is beautifully crafted. Well written, well acted, well shot.
Ok I am all for film analysis but this whole analysis incorrectly uses the concept of irony when several other character traits are more relevant, ie contradictory, paradoxically. Major omission is the concept of Crowe's character being Jewish, he is an outsider in a New York police dept that is probably majority Irish Catholic or Italian. Him being an outsider leads him to act differently, to refuse a bribe, to investigate a case differently, he knows being Jewish in the police in force in the 1970's means he isn't trusted, isn't part of the team, so he makes his own team of fellow outsiders (which this analysis didn't cover). It isn't irony that Crowe's character is a good cop but bad father, it is a character flaw not irony. It also isn't ironic that Washington's character is low key, he defines himself in opposition to the brash Italian gangsters by being invisible, by knowing that having the power is more important than having superficial wealth. Interesting analysis from this channel but on this occasion I have to disagree.
@@jdlc903 I'm not Jewish but that's irrelevant to the analysis. Did you NOT notice that Frank is black? If you did does that make you an identitarian. It would be crazy to pretend you can't see that Frank is black and became the biggest gangster in New York in the 70's! Or do you not see colour? I'd argue gangster films are all about the characters ethnic background, if I say the Godfather, what do 99% of people think?? Italian Americans. If i said Scarface most people think of Cuban exiles, Carlitos Way Puerto Ricans. Gangs themselves are specifically about ethnic group identity. And how many cop films are about the same, Irish cops etc. Identitarian implies unnecessary insertion of ethnic politics, if this was sesame street then I'd agree, but it isn't, this is messy reality.
Absolutely brilliant - analysis with no hyperbole, woven with exogenous example that we all can identify with, and a patient, linear assembly of the points you're making. Organized but above all else, THOUGHTFUL. Bravo!
I love the way the middle point is told by pure visuals, it's not longer an investigation it becomes into a hunting after Frank violates for only once his own code of being smooth.
@L10 His desire to show his appreciation to his wife by wearing that very expensive gaudy fur coat/"clown suit" is what caused the cops to notice him in the 1st place and of course he coulda stopped what he was doing long before he was caught with money enough to last many lifetimes.
@@apb38 However, the most important factor was, that Frank was a black man rising up in the 1960s/70s. Richie was seeing that too (the other cops didn't). Even without the fur hat and coat, a black man sitting in the front row of a boxing match with Muhammed Ali... It may sound racist but remember the times back than.
pretty damm cool. You should have mentioned the ultimate Irony that Richie became Franks Lawyer and they remained friends. Check out the interview with Charlie Rose.
My Dad was an Army lifer. My parents divorced when I was 6. In my teens I got in touch with my Dad. When we started hanging out he would take me with him to the bars he liked. In Texas minors can be in a bar with a parent. My Dad never allowed me to drink. He had volunteered for Vietnam."Son,I fought some tough bastards. I'm not going piss off your Mom". He taught me how to read a room. First rule: "Don't worry about the loud guys. Pay attention to the quiet guys". I watched a waitress go to a guy's table with a fresh drink before the old one was empty. She took care of everyone but the quiet man was her focus. He was polite to the waitress and left a tip. No one talked to this man. But the older I got the truer it was. I've seen guys just minding thier own have someone try to "have a little fun" with them. They got put down real quick.
I always felt that Trupo was the real antagonist. He thru his Special Investigations Unit has Lucas under his control and Lucas wanted to break free from that control.
Trupo is such a lowkey incredible character and an absolute masterpiece of a performance by Josh Brolin. "Pay your bills Frank? Do you pay your bills, I asked you?" Hes a true villain. The way he disrespects Frank's wife and mother when serving the warrant there. And tons of scenes where he doesnt even say anything, but still perfectly performs the scene, like at the end when he spills the coffee on the bed before going outside to sit by the pool, and his hilarious reaction to watching his car explode on Thanksgiving! 10/10
The way that this movie was broken down makes me like the movie even more. This was an awesome breakdown and I found out things that I didn't notice when watching the film this is an awesome video!
I believe that Frank got RR's attention by sitting with Joe Louis in the front row and talking with well-known mobsters. The coat was just a visual indicator. RR mentions his seats in the movie, not the coat. I think a lot of people get this part wrong about the movie.
Good insightful breakdown of the movie. Ridley Scott and Denzel did an excellent job of making Frank's character sympathetic - all the while killing people literally...and with his heroin. At the same time he makes Ritchie almost a Serpico type cop with personal faults. I've watched American Gangster maybe a half dozen times and it never fails to be interesting on the many levels you aptly point out. Definitely a tour de force by Washington - by far one of the very best actors in Hollywood these days.
Honestly I cant even count the number of times I've watched this movie and I feel Denzel didnt get the prizes he deserved. His top 3 performances imo and he always brings the best out of the directors
Nice analysis! Would love to see you go through movies like Casino (1994), City of God, There will be Blood, The Prestige, The Big Lebowski, Amadeus and The Deer Hunter.
Frank to Huey: You're wearing a suit that says "Arrest Me!" Also Frank: Wears a $25K Chinchilla coat to a boxing match and had better seats than Dominic Cattano
[edited] Exactly. The Frank Matthews story would still be a good film. AG was supposed to be about Lucas and his mob's ascent in the underworld but the fool Zallian who wrote the script made it more about Richie Roberts which was bullcrap. And Ridley didn't capture one note of 1970's Harlem NYC. All because the studio wouldn't give Antoine Fuqua the $90 million budget he asked for then gave Ridley Scott $150 million to do it.
Well they didn't really make Frank Lucas's story anyway. Yes, some parts are accurate but a lot of his character and many of things he did in the movie (most notably the Vietnam trade deal) are base on Mathews, Ike Atkinson and other major black drug dealers of the era. Al Profit made some good videos about the topic.
Yo.... this video randomly showed up in my feed so i watched it while i smoked... and Sir, if all your content is like this... you are definitely on your way! I was glued to this video lol I’m about to watch everything and definitely contribute to your patreon... and that “trading places clip” at the end was brilliant
Great video! My only suggestion would be to give attention to the audio level disparity between your spoken narrative and the audio of the reference clips. It might've just been my experience, but I had to turn up the volume a couple times during the clips to hear the dialogue only to have to turn it down again once the narration came back (ex: 4:40). Just a thought. Great work!
@@a.demifemiflapo5795 that scene was hard for me to watch. He gets treated nice by a civilian woman in the coffee shops goes to someone, shoots im in the forehead and i just felt like vomiting when seeing the bullet in his head
In real life Ike Sgt Smack Ackenson was the one who smuggled drugs from Thailand on military planes, Frank Mathews ran Harlem, and Frank Lucas ran Newark NJ.
Frank was the gangster but his lifestyle was more tamed while Richie was the cop but his lifestyle was more out of control you think it would be vice versa. Great analysis 👍👍
@W G I disagree. Yes nobody's perfect but there's a reason people judge each other. If there's wasn't a reason then people wouldn't be judging their government or religious infrastructures. That whole "we all human" talk gets played out quickly nowadays especially if you're still considered 3/5 of a human being (yes that law still a thing) to the rest of world like black people are! Likewise, here's a quote from my one of my favorite scholars: "If you do not understand white supremacy (racism). What it is, and how it works, everything you understand, will only confuse you." - Neely Fuller Jr. PS I'll assume that the rest of my comment may not make sense to you right now but study the era that American Gangster was set in and maybe you might possibly understand!?
Man your content is amazing. Very happy to have found your channel,subbed and liked. Cant believe you tube only recommended this to me in 2020.. Keep it up.
What happened to you?! This channel started out like a gem!. I expected you to be an experienced youtuber with no less than 53k subs if not 530k subs! But here you are with 53 subs!
Very well done. This is one of my favorite movies and even though I have seen this movie about 20 times I have never considered this. It went right over my head
Thanks for clearing that up about who was trying to kill frank lucas I though it was nicky barnes because of the argument they got into at barnes club and just the look he gives lucas as he was leaving. Lucas telling him not to cut up his product so much, and nicky not liking being told what to do.
I read this info online and found it interesting:- In 1981, after five years in custody, his 40-year federal term and 30-year state term were reduced to time served plus lifetime parole. In 1984, he was caught and convicted of trying to exchange one ounce of heroin and $13,000 for one kilogram of cocaine. He received a sentence of seven years and was released from prison in 1991.
How is it ironic that the CEO of an organization is highly disciplined whether the business is illegal or legal? Theres nothing ironic here, it's just life. And the cop is human, not everyone is a perfect Dad or Husband.
@@Louey_ Denzel and overrated don't belong in the same sentence not sure how many of his movies you've watched if you think he plays the same roles you need to dig deeper into his catalogue!
all time is a long time. He's a great actor and definitely one of the best of his generation, but you really want to say he's better than Tom Hanks? That man has incredible range and the awards to back it up. Denzels one of the greatest, without a doubt.
This is one of the best true stories out there. I definitely would of loved to have seen him get away with all this... one of type of movies where the villain should of won, hands down
he did win. he poisoned his people for years, had people killed, made millions, didn't do alot of jail time in relation to his crimes and became famous again after he got out. for a major crime boss, that is as close to "winning" as it gets. Look at most of the bosses in the mafia for instance........
@@crazy75able in real life it wasn't even 15 years. It was 5 years (reduced from 70). And he got an additional 7 years sentence a few years afterwards when he was caught trying to sell drugs again (despite having Like 65 years left on parole he wasn't forced to serve it)
Denzel ia one of the best in this thing in the last 20 years.....He make the best natural angryness but in a greatest nicest way possible....he does not have a competition in that type of acting...nothing similar...maybe keanu but is not the same
Peewee Kirkland was the biggest heroin kingpin in NYC and was alot more powerful than Frank Lucas also he got drafted to the NBA but didn't accept because there was more money in the dope game
And he should not be looked upon as some kind of martyr. He made that choice which ended up killing a lot of his own people. There's nothing to brag or be proud about in being the biggest drug dealer.
@@raoulduke8794 some movies indeed. When there is sex in it. Like Caligula's British version is ridiculous. The Continental European version is like hardcore porn. But going back to today's cinema, directors are often asked to shoot two or three different endings. Room 1408 has two main endings which are radically different. The biggest issue was To live and die in LA where the director refused to shoot a different ending. It cost the producers a lot of money cause the audience didn't like the ending. Since then, there are at least two different endings in a lot of movies.
Alot of continuity errors . Such as , They go to Niki Barnes' club and the cousin is driving them there ( Jimmy ) but when they leave Jimmy is no longer the driver.
A lot of screenplay analytics come off as pretentious...unreasonably proud of details that the director made painstakingly obvious. Fancy editing and a smooth voice doesn't mean your a brilliant mind for pointing out the sky is blue. But i genuinely learned something today. I really need to re watch this film. Excellent video i hope this channel gets more views.
When you look at a lot of movies from different angles sometimes the hero can easily be looked at as the villain...same as the villain can be a hero in some light.
Really good explanation of the film. I am not convinced he would have wanted to start a war with the Cosa Nostra at that time though, considering the amount of crime families that were active.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE VIEWS and ENGAGEMENT, since so many of you logged in and watched, I have been hard at work making a new Video about WOODY ALLEN and his BEST MOVIE. So, Stay Tuned!
Just Subscribed, good channel.
cant wait for the next one. no email? why?
Awesome channel are you still hard at work or hardly working. Hope you're working because I've seen the 3 clips would love to see more. Peace ✌
keep up the great work man, I look forward to your next video!
Damn, just 3 videos on your channel?
Frank was the loudest in the boxing arena with that outfit. He went against his own advice.
And it cost him.
His outfit was how he caught Richie's eye.
Women... can't live without them, etc etc
Well in reality he was actually the loudest man in the Room.
And he knew it full well
And he looked like a clown lol.
For the people who continue mentioning the chinchilla fur coat - Frank didn't want to wear it. It was a gift his wife bought for him and she was the one who pushed him to go out looking rather very eye catching. At one point, he finds out that this is the start to his downfall. It wasn't his own actions that led him to getting caught, but rather the people around him that are clueless, like his wife, or reckless, like his family and brothers, that led to his ultimate demise.
For real, fully agree. In the end the man who had himself, lost himself to the world around him.
Demise is too much of a strong word, let’s leave it at “downfall “
Try to watch real interviews with F.L. before he passed away. He contradicts parts of the movie there. As well as this movie was made, parts were embellished to sensationalize him. Only God and Lucas will ever know the truth about what happened.
though if he had just sat a few rows back, he wouldn't have caught that much attention. The seats were his own choices and no one else's
The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room - my favorite quote from the movie, and actually solid advice to live by.
That's a very old saying that the movie borrowed. I heard it a long time ago in the 1990s but it's probably thousands of years old.
It all depends
Sounds cool but not true at all, strength comes in many forms in many personalities. Some loud some quiet.
Generalisations should be avoided
@Andrew McCall Jr. The point being when you draw attention to yourself you invite jelousy, envy and being that they were involved in illegal activities it will make people question how you obtained your status.
My favourite ironic moment in the movie was Frank always being very discrete in dress and method, but the one time he flexes his wealth and dresses up with the flashy furcoat his wife gave him and sitting frontrow ahead of even the mobsters, he gets caught.
Defo. I thought that fur coat didn’t suit him, either.
@@afterlife101spirit sigh. the things we do for our women.
@@o-wolf and they are always our downfall
So basically another man fel by a women. Lol Cus she wanted him to wear it
@@o-wolf
Like Deniro in Casino. She kept stealing money to give to her pimp bf.
Went to his safety deposit box and jacked all his shit, doing cocaine around her daughter and leaving the baby alone while she went for drinks and more cocaine.
“ I told Frank not to wear that coat, but we all know Frank does what Frank wants”
- TK Kirkland
LMAO
Haha! legendary comment
hahahaha yo this TK kirkland comment is getting out of hand.
GladTV
Lmao 😂😂😂
This movie was the last true gangster flick. They don't make them like this anymore. Wasn't romanticized or stylized, rather hyper realistic. Amazing film.
You know The Irishman is our right? Gangster Squad? Much more movies
NYCDom the Irishman is absolutely terrible!
Kinda true
I prefer this...
Way better than the Irish man
@potlovingchef14 well that’s obvious... but I’m speaking the stylistic realism... not how much of the story is based in facts
@@pacco9532 you wildin
“That’s $25,000 Dollar Al Paca !
You Blot That Shit !!!!”
To be fair you should blot any carpet stain.
That is what im talking about!!!
@@inactiveusertypeofaccount181 lol
Good to see other people appreciate the finest in dialogue!
Pretty much anytime I have to blot a stain, I say this line in my head in Denzel’s voice.
My man
This was a great summary of the battle between Lucas and Roberts, but it fundamentally overlooks what I would argue is one of the greatest ironies of the film: that Roberts and Lucas are both fighting against corrupt systems by becoming their leaders. Lucas cuts out the middle-man and becomes more powerful than the mafia, only to be cut down by Roberts, a good cop. Meanwhile Roberts takes a stand against corruption in the police force and gets his partner killed, only to be helped in the end by Lucas, one of the most brutal criminals he's ever faced.
I may not remember the movie cause I am rather confused. In what way do you mean that Frank helps Richie?
This was so well done!
@@TIOLIOfficialFrank snitched on the corrupt police
Frank: “The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room”
Also Frank: *wears chinchilla coat and hat to a boxing match*
Bullshit in real life dude was a country bumpkin douche. He was loud and obnoxious. His attitude still sucked even into old age. The real Rick Ross said he was a douchebag.
Yeah, but he didn't want to. It was a gift from his wife and he wore it for her, against his better judgment. He knows that coat exposed him and he burns it.
@erozpl01 actually it wasn't the coat what exposed him. It was his sit place at that boxing match. He was sitting to close to the ring and even in front of Dominic Cattano (Armand Assante). That's 100 times more suspect than a 50.000 dollars coat.
erozpl01 I already knew the story before the movie. That doesn’t change his actions.
He could have said it was just a fake fur. The seat position is what exposed him since he was right at the front. How can you miss someone at the front?
I found Frank Lucas's character compelling because it was very positive qualities that made him such a good criminal. He was intelligent, conscientious, careful, thoughtful, but still capable of decisive action. With a different life mentor he probably could have become a fantastic army officer or successful legitimate businessman.
"he probably could have become" - true, but only in an alternative reality where his race isn't a barrier to success.
I remember thinking the same thing. He would've made a killing during the 2007 financial crisis slinging subprime mortgages
@@chukidee6634 LOL, Lots of successful black business people the only thing holding people back is the ignorant "gangsta" culture. FACT
FRANK FRANKLIN Agreed also what he was doing was illegal that was the main factor holding him back. He didn’t go to jail because he was black although he shouldn’t have worn that coat and hat.
He really wasn’t..this movie is very inaccurate and lucas was a tough kid who could barely read or count . Hollywood painted this inaccurate picture of lucas .
One of the things that makes this screenplay so effective and engaging is that, within the first 15 minutes, the audience is introduced to the economics of the heroin trade and all the characters' roles in it through dialog and character interaction. Without a major exposition dump, you feel the ingenuity of Frank's business model as he's developing it, and understand how he becomes such a dominant kingpin so fast.
This!
Edit: having just rewatched the director's cut for the first time in years, I'd say it's actually the first 30-40 minutes.
@@blaisetelfer8499 first 15 if you know how the ropes are lashed.
The original screenplay True Blue is better than this and was more in tune with movies like Once Upon A Time In America, The Godfather, etc... While American Gangster is a good movie the cop story line drags it down IMO The cop storyline should not have even shown up in the movie until the last 30 minutes but Russell Crowe wasn't going to play in the movie unless he had equal screen time.
The original screenplay True Blue is better than this and was more in tune with movies like Once Upon A Time In America, The Godfather, etc... While American Gangster is a good movie the cop story line drags it down IMO The cop storyline should not have even shown up in the movie until the last 30 minutes but Russell Crowe wasn't going to play in the movie unless he had equal screen time.
Also notice that from the very beginning Lucas is brutal and cold. He burns a man alive and then shoots him. He shoots a man in public, and even smashes his own cousins head with a piano. Through all his charisma you can see deep below their is a monster brewing. But he keeps a lid, only using force when necessary. Showing he is calculated and collected about his attacks, he choses when to strike, a true mastermind.
Not certainly calculated nor masterminds, but he aware of his surroundings and knows how to punish.
@@jobsmine that is being calculated
Only just had this recommended to me ! Man beautifully written and put together. Well above the grade I'd expect from a channel with such low subs, I feel this will take off very soon only 40k views.
I hope he notices the attention this video is getting and makes more. It looks like the algorithm gods have smiled on this video
I’m saying, then I look to binge on his videos and he’s only dropped 2, IN 2 YEARS!!! WTF!!!
100% agree. Just recommended, click straight. Didn't dissapointed. Well done.
This is his only video and it’s from 2 years ago😢
“More important than one mans life is order.” Siciliano proverb
or possibly... sowing disorder? antifa perhaps? throwing useful idiots into the fire to watch things burn? stalin had that part right.
It’s true tho ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
fil a stfu you brainwashed idiot
@@fila6243 i see you're a special kind of stupid
"3 can keep a secret if 2 are dead . " Siciliano proverb
The most beautiful element of this film is the respect.
Respect when portraying the 2 main characters, mutual respect between the 2, respect in each one's beliefs and lifestyle.
Truly, a masterpiece.
Amazing analysis in this video.
A ton of symbolism in this movie. Both characters have television. One's fancy, the other's most basic. Even lines being spoken on TV are subtext. One buys the best piano without even thinking, the other occupies a church with a piano that probably doesn't even play properly. The film is so full of subtle cues about the connection between 2 men, that they feel connected, despite barely even encountering eachother. 2 men. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason and doing the wrong thing for the right reason. Both experience a revelation. Richie in the court room with his wife, and frank with his mother. Points where both characters realize their imperfections and begin progression to being better men. The movie is beautifully crafted. Well written, well acted, well shot.
That was the most professional detailed analysis I've ever seen of any movie. You deserve more subs.
+1
Ok I am all for film analysis but this whole analysis incorrectly uses the concept of irony when several other character traits are more relevant, ie contradictory, paradoxically. Major omission is the concept of Crowe's character being Jewish, he is an outsider in a New York police dept that is probably majority Irish Catholic or Italian. Him being an outsider leads him to act differently, to refuse a bribe, to investigate a case differently, he knows being Jewish in the police in force in the 1970's means he isn't trusted, isn't part of the team, so he makes his own team of fellow outsiders (which this analysis didn't cover). It isn't irony that Crowe's character is a good cop but bad father, it is a character flaw not irony. It also isn't ironic that Washington's character is low key, he defines himself in opposition to the brash Italian gangsters by being invisible, by knowing that having the power is more important than having superficial wealth. Interesting analysis from this channel but on this occasion I have to disagree.
I agree.
totally agree
Are you jewish?or someother minority?
This type of analysis sounds very....identitarian...
Okay sure but...Why male models?
@@jdlc903 I'm not Jewish but that's irrelevant to the analysis. Did you NOT notice that Frank is black? If you did does that make you an identitarian. It would be crazy to pretend you can't see that Frank is black and became the biggest gangster in New York in the 70's! Or do you not see colour? I'd argue gangster films are all about the characters ethnic background, if I say the Godfather, what do 99% of people think?? Italian Americans. If i said Scarface most people think of Cuban exiles, Carlitos Way Puerto Ricans. Gangs themselves are specifically about ethnic group identity. And how many cop films are about the same, Irish cops etc. Identitarian implies unnecessary insertion of ethnic politics, if this was sesame street then I'd agree, but it isn't, this is messy reality.
Moral of the story:
If you’re a gangster, don’t attend boxing fights.
Don't attend them in MINK.
Tupac agrees (RIP king)
@@rafdizon8416 the same Tupac who shot a child?
@@darthkek1953 No the same Tupac who shoot two racist police officers 😌
@@stephordless8876 The same Tupac that was shot and killed by his own people?
Absolutely brilliant - analysis with no hyperbole, woven with exogenous example that we all can identify with, and a patient, linear assembly of the points you're making. Organized but above all else, THOUGHTFUL. Bravo!
I love the way the middle point is told by pure visuals, it's not longer an investigation it becomes into a hunting after Frank violates for only once his own code of being smooth.
I liked the extended acene in the directors cut. It showed the reality, and Danzel diaplayed the confused state very well in that short few minutes.
Catering to his wife and greed killed him.
@L10 His desire to show his appreciation to his wife by wearing that very expensive gaudy fur coat/"clown suit" is what caused the cops to notice him in the 1st place and of course he coulda stopped what he was doing long before he was caught with money enough to last many lifetimes.
Killed his career, not him.
@@apb38 However, the most important factor was, that Frank was a black man rising up in the 1960s/70s. Richie was seeing that too (the other cops didn't). Even without the fur hat and coat, a black man sitting in the front row of a boxing match with Muhammed Ali... It may sound racist but remember the times back than.
@@blackhawk-editsandmore3654 Yes, there are many more reasons but movie wise that coat was the catalyst.
@@apb38 that is true
pretty damm cool. You should have mentioned the ultimate Irony that Richie became Franks Lawyer and they remained friends. Check out the interview with Charlie Rose.
I like the ending with him coming out from jail with the rap music....I mean they almost have him run into Nino Brown for godsakes.
Nino was dead by '91. CMB blew up in '86.
Figuratively speaking.
My Dad was an Army lifer. My parents divorced when I was 6. In my teens I got in touch with my Dad. When we started hanging out he would take me with him to the bars he liked. In Texas minors can be in a bar with a parent. My Dad never allowed me to drink. He had volunteered for Vietnam."Son,I fought some tough bastards. I'm not going piss off your Mom". He taught me how to read a room. First rule: "Don't worry about the loud guys. Pay attention to the quiet guys". I watched a waitress go to a guy's table with a fresh drink before the old one was empty. She took care of everyone but the quiet man was her focus. He was polite to the waitress and left a tip. No one talked to this man. But the older I got the truer it was. I've seen guys just minding thier own have someone try to "have a little fun" with them. They got put down real quick.
I always felt that Trupo was the real antagonist. He thru his Special Investigations Unit has Lucas under his control and Lucas wanted to break free from that control.
Trupo was the biggest gangster of them all, he literally had no redeeming qualities to him, just a cold hearted scumbag all around.
Trupo is such a lowkey incredible character and an absolute masterpiece of a performance by Josh Brolin. "Pay your bills Frank? Do you pay your bills, I asked you?" Hes a true villain. The way he disrespects Frank's wife and mother when serving the warrant there. And tons of scenes where he doesnt even say anything, but still perfectly performs the scene, like at the end when he spills the coffee on the bed before going outside to sit by the pool, and his hilarious reaction to watching his car explode on Thanksgiving! 10/10
Special investigations unit.
The way that this movie was broken down makes me like the movie even more. This was an awesome breakdown and I found out things that I didn't notice when watching the film this is an awesome video!
I believe that Frank got RR's attention by sitting with Joe Louis in the front row and talking with well-known mobsters. The coat was just a visual indicator. RR mentions his seats in the movie, not the coat. I think a lot of people get this part wrong about the movie.
You explained what my attraction is to this movie beyond just the storyline / plot. Thank you!
“ I was the one that actually introduced Bumpy to Frank.”
- TK Kirkland
Good insightful breakdown of the movie. Ridley Scott and Denzel did an excellent job of making Frank's character sympathetic - all the while killing people literally...and with his heroin. At the same time he makes Ritchie almost a Serpico type cop with personal faults. I've watched American Gangster maybe a half dozen times and it never fails to be interesting on the many levels you aptly point out. Definitely a tour de force by Washington - by far one of the very best actors in Hollywood these days.
Honestly I cant even count the number of times I've watched this movie and I feel Denzel didnt get the prizes he deserved. His top 3 performances imo and he always brings the best out of the directors
Nice analysis! Would love to see you go through movies like Casino (1994), City of God, There will be Blood, The Prestige, The Big Lebowski, Amadeus and The Deer Hunter.
Frank to Huey: You're wearing a suit that says "Arrest Me!"
Also Frank: Wears a $25K Chinchilla coat to a boxing match and had better seats than Dominic Cattano
They should’ve made the movie about Frank Mathews
[edited] Exactly. The Frank Matthews story would still be a good film. AG was supposed to be about Lucas and his mob's ascent in the underworld but the fool Zallian who wrote the script made it more about Richie Roberts which was bullcrap. And Ridley didn't capture one note of 1970's Harlem NYC. All because the studio wouldn't give Antoine Fuqua the $90 million budget he asked for then gave Ridley Scott $150 million to do it.
Well they didn't really make Frank Lucas's story anyway. Yes, some parts are accurate but a lot of his character and many of things he did in the movie (most notably the Vietnam trade deal) are base on Mathews, Ike Atkinson and other major black drug dealers of the era.
Al Profit made some good videos about the topic.
@travis Wow, you must be dense. Frank Mathews got away with everything and didn`t snitch like Frank Lucas
Frank Mathews has WAY MORE MONEY than frank Lucas
#OTF 1 I think the Mob eventually caught up with him
i think the music score in this movie is not recognized enough also. I fricken love this movie. Top 10 in my list for sure. Good video.
Good post. Denzel has over 10 outstanding performances in his career. A true thespian. He is a legend.
Yo.... this video randomly showed up in my feed so i watched it while i smoked... and Sir, if all your content is like this... you are definitely on your way! I was glued to this video lol I’m about to watch everything and definitely contribute to your patreon... and that “trading places clip” at the end was brilliant
“The ironies of American Gangster” : The End.
Absolutely amazing analysis, I didn't deviate or look away for even one second. Fantastic work!
The recommendations brought me here and I was not disappointed. Very detailed break down, it made me view the film completely different 👍🏽.
Yeah, made it 10x better
Great video! My only suggestion would be to give attention to the audio level disparity between your spoken narrative and the audio of the reference clips. It might've just been my experience, but I had to turn up the volume a couple times during the clips to hear the dialogue only to have to turn it down again once the narration came back (ex: 4:40). Just a thought. Great work!
I love this movie... i watched like 1000 times!
Idris Elba was incredible "You gonna shoot me? In front of everybody? Huh? Come on!" *bang*
@@a.demifemiflapo5795 "there you go. 20%"
@@blaze6477 "Bumpy don't own 116th no more. Bumpy don't own no real estate in Harlem. I'm the landlord and the lease is 20%"
@@a.demifemiflapo5795 that scene was hard for me to watch. He gets treated nice by a civilian woman in the coffee shops goes to someone, shoots im in the forehead and i just felt like vomiting when seeing the bullet in his head
@@StreetDrilla They hate each other and Idris Elba's character owes him so I guess only one course of action
I went to his channel to see all the hundreds of videos he had…
The pain…. Plz make more man. This is one of my favorite videos I’ve ever watched.
My man. You ironified me.
This was a GREAT video essay.
Man this was a very well put together video! Enjoyed every minute!
Just subbed been looking for new and exciting new RUclips channels that cover these things thanks man
Subscribed, liked, and thoroughly enjoyed the analysis. Channel is massively underrated.
In real life Ike Sgt Smack Ackenson was the one who smuggled drugs from Thailand on military planes, Frank Mathews ran Harlem, and Frank Lucas ran Newark NJ.
That’s what he says, it’s he say vs he say at this point
Frank was the gangster but his lifestyle was more tamed while Richie was the cop but his lifestyle was more out of control you think it would be vice versa. Great analysis 👍👍
that's life tho, we are all not perfect but yet we judge each other.
@W G I disagree. Yes nobody's perfect but there's a reason people judge each other. If there's wasn't a reason then people wouldn't be judging their government or religious infrastructures. That whole "we all human" talk gets played out quickly nowadays especially if you're still considered 3/5 of a human being (yes that law still a thing) to the rest of world like black people are! Likewise, here's a quote from my one of my favorite scholars:
"If you do not understand white supremacy (racism). What it is, and how it works, everything you understand, will only confuse you." - Neely Fuller Jr.
PS I'll assume that the rest of my comment may not make sense to you right now but study the era that American Gangster was set in and maybe you might possibly understand!?
True
@@davidmitchell3997 So what is the reason?
Man your content is amazing.
Very happy to have found your channel,subbed and liked.
Cant believe you tube only recommended this to me in 2020..
Keep it up.
That was an amazing analysis. They are both gangsters.
He had to take the advice of that Vietnam Landlord
What happened to you?! This channel started out like a gem!. I expected you to be an experienced youtuber with no less than 53k subs if not 530k subs! But here you are with 53 subs!
Right ? What happened?
@@snow-man2931 yeah, what the hell?? this was a great channel.
Right?? Where did all the content go?
It's not the hit that you see coming that hurts the most...
It's the hit that comes seemingly out of nowhere...That knocks you out!
Very Insightful!!
And take them goddamn sunglasses off...TAKE THE GODDAMN SUNGLASSES OFF
My favorite part in this masterpiece is when they finally come face to face outside of the church
Yep I love both songs inside the Church, and the other song in the scene that you mention, great Hymns
You need way more views and subs my man. Thanks for the narration on this. Its good shit.
Amazing work 👌🏻
Very well done. This is one of my favorite movies and even though I have seen this movie about 20 times I have never considered this. It went right over my head
Thanks for clearing that up about who was trying to kill frank lucas I though it was nicky barnes because of the argument they got into at barnes club and just the look he gives lucas as he was leaving. Lucas telling him not to cut up his product so much, and nicky not liking being told what to do.
"Put a chokehold on the motherfucker and call it blue dogshit, just dont let me catch you-"
*Cuba Gooding jr. throws a glass against the wall*
bro this was absolutely BRILLIANT
I read this info online and found it interesting:-
In 1981, after five years in custody, his 40-year federal term and 30-year state term were reduced to time served plus lifetime parole. In 1984, he was caught and convicted of trying to exchange one ounce of heroin and $13,000 for one kilogram of cocaine. He received a sentence of seven years and was released from prison in 1991.
Checked out your page hoping there was way more content! This is brilliant, don’t stop creating!
The most hilarious and ironic fact is racism is what got Frank caught, they saw a black man in a mink and was like” aw HELL nah wtf he doin!?”
The most movies decipher ever done
wow, i'm short of words
One of my favourites, great breakdown
You said, "den of inequity"
Nice man. No one talks like that anymore.
I like the way this guy promotes his Patreon. Very classy and subtle with the Trading Places reference.
How is it ironic that the CEO of an organization is highly disciplined whether the business is illegal or legal? Theres nothing ironic here, it's just life. And the cop is human, not everyone is a perfect Dad or Husband.
Excellent first video my friend 🎬 Keep that shit up sir. 👌🏾Subscribed.
He only made this 1 video
I dated a girl who 40 yearls later i learned was an escort while we were in college. Not that i care but that hoar better not look at me sideways ever
🤣🤣
Why couldn’t I have found this when I had to watch this movie for class?! This is so well done!
Denzel Washington: Best Actor of all-time, period.
Alright he's good in this but he's highly overrated it's like Jim Carey same shit over and over always the tough guy no range
@@Louey_ Denzel and overrated don't belong in the same sentence not sure how many of his movies you've watched if you think he plays the same roles you need to dig deeper into his catalogue!
all time is a long time. He's a great actor and definitely one of the best of his generation, but you really want to say he's better than Tom Hanks? That man has incredible range and the awards to back it up. Denzels one of the greatest, without a doubt.
my top 5: 1. Anthony Hopkins, 2. Al Pacino, 3. Gary Oldman, 4. Daniel Day Lewis and 5. Robert De Niro
@@Samir-il4ky That's a decent list!
THIS WAS EEEEEPIC mate good job
This is one of the best true stories out there. I definitely would of loved to have seen him get away with all this... one of type of movies where the villain should of won, hands down
he did win. he poisoned his people for years, had people killed, made millions, didn't do alot of jail time in relation to his crimes and became famous again after he got out. for a major crime boss, that is as close to "winning" as it gets. Look at most of the bosses in the mafia for instance........
You might reconsider your morals if you really mean what you wrote. Also, getting 15 years for crimes he commited is a fking joke
@@crazy75able in real life it wasn't even 15 years. It was 5 years (reduced from 70). And he got an additional 7 years sentence a few years afterwards when he was caught trying to sell drugs again (despite having Like 65 years left on parole he wasn't forced to serve it)
Please keep making these! Great job!!!!!
THAT'S ALPACA. YOU BLOT THAT SHIT!
Denzel ia one of the best in this thing in the last 20 years.....He make the best natural angryness but in a greatest nicest way possible....he does not have a competition in that type of acting...nothing similar...maybe keanu but is not the same
Wow, very insightful analysis of American Gangster. Thank you!
Peewee Kirkland was the biggest heroin kingpin in NYC and was alot more powerful than Frank Lucas also he got drafted to the NBA but didn't accept because there was more money in the dope game
And he should not be looked upon as some kind of martyr. He made that choice which ended up killing a lot of his own people. There's nothing to brag or be proud about in being the biggest drug dealer.
The was deep! Great job on tying everything together, especially the things that we saw but did not see!
I got the DVD in the UK and the scene with the café latte is not deleted.
Weird, I thought you guys famously had censored versions of movies
@@raoulduke8794 some movies indeed. When there is sex in it. Like Caligula's British version is ridiculous. The Continental European version is like hardcore porn. But going back to today's cinema, directors are often asked to shoot two or three different endings. Room 1408 has two main endings which are radically different. The biggest issue was To live and die in LA where the director refused to shoot a different ending. It cost the producers a lot of money cause the audience didn't like the ending. Since then, there are at least two different endings in a lot of movies.
if I found cash I would NEVER turn it in
Film was more make believe than true story.
they stole frank mathews story
you was there?
Yeah 1% accurate and 99% Hollywood.
@@plutotech you don’t need to be there , there’s plenty of eye witnesses and court papers and his own statement that it wasn’t very factual .
Mistake number one was the boxing match
Feel it was close to an absolute classic with American Gangster, an excellent movie, but just felt lacking somewhere that I'm uncertain of.
The end was anticlimactic they tried it with the shoot out at the trap but honestly there were unfinished story lines in the movie
Alot of continuity errors . Such as , They go to Niki Barnes' club and the cousin is driving them there ( Jimmy ) but when they leave Jimmy is no longer the driver.
That was impressive, the best breakdown of a movie I've ever seen
True that he did cover up a murder cause he died I forgot abou that. To many dirty cops
A lot of screenplay analytics come off as pretentious...unreasonably proud of details that the director made painstakingly obvious. Fancy editing and a smooth voice doesn't mean your a brilliant mind for pointing out the sky is blue. But i genuinely learned something today. I really need to re watch this film. Excellent video i hope this channel gets more views.
JOSH BROLIN was the best character in AMERICAN GANGSTER and stole the movie.
He's so great. Have you seen Hail Ceaser?
Cap
They really blew up that Mustang so they could get Brolin's reaction . You know Frank, i loved that car .
I know .
Who!
When you look at a lot of movies from different angles sometimes the hero can easily be looked at as the villain...same as the villain can be a hero in some light.
Great breakdown man.
This is great content !! Hope you make more videos man
No more videos? That's a shame. You have talent this is quality content. I would have subbed
Yeah I wonder what happen to him
Really good explanation of the film. I am not convinced he would have wanted to start a war with the Cosa Nostra at that time though, considering the amount of crime families that were active.