Movie Recommendation: American Gangster

This past evening I saw American Gangster with my good friend, John, husband of my friend & colleague, Fiona. John & I typically go to films that Fiona has no interest in seeing. She missed a good one this time! The film stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, and was directed by Ridley Scott. I've never yet been disappointed with a movie involving any of these fellows.

It focused on the life of drug lord Frank Lucas, who became extremely wealthy selling pure heroin known as "Blue Magic" throughout the Harlem area of New York City in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The film is long, which I love as long as the story is good. This story was great. It interwove several themes together, including: the illicit drug trade, a highly corrupt NYPD, the Vietnam War, and the emergence of Black power.

Thankfully, it also showed the dark side of the glamour of people like Lucas; wasted lives, miserable deaths, and pain, pain, pain. No thinking person could escape the fact that there are strong parallels with what's going on in Vancouver these days. Highly recommended!