American Gangster

American Gangster is a crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the true story of Frank Lucas, a drug lord who rose to power in Harlem in the 1970s. The film follows Lucas' journey from being the right-hand man of Harlem mob boss Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson to becoming the top crime lord in Harlem, buying heroin directly from producers in Thailand and smuggling it into the US through returning Vietnam War servicemen. Lucas' heroin, branded as "Blue Magic," becomes incredibly popular due to its affordability and purity, eliminating much of his competition. However, his rise to power attracts the attention of Newark Detective Richie Roberts, who is determined to bring him down. Roberts is portrayed as a tough, no-nonsense detective who is willing to go against the grain to get results. The film explores themes of ambition, greed, corruption, and violence as Lucas and Roberts engage in a cat-and-mouse game. The tension between Lucas and Roberts drives the plot forward as they both try to outsmart each other. Throughout the film, Scott uses symbolism effectively when depicting scenes involving drugs being transported via plane across oceans or during closeups that show nothing but barren streets containing only trash - demonstrating how something pure can easily become corrupted over time just like these two characters' motives eventually do too with fatal consequences looming near at all times!

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Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as American Gangster include Murder by Numbers, Memories of Murder, Freedom Writers, Gridiron Gang, The Lookout, Unthinkable.

American Gangster was released in theaters on November 2, 2007.