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 American Gangster  (film) 

 American Gangster 

Theatrical release poster 

Directed by Ridley Scott

Produced byRidley Scott

Brian Grazer 

Screenplay by Steven Zaillian

Based onThe Return of Superfly 

 by Mark Jacobson

StarringRussell Crowe

Denzel ashin!ton

Chiwetel "#io$or 

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Cuba Goodin! Jr%

Josh Brolin

Ted &evine

'r(and 'ssante

John )rtiz

John *awkes

RZ'

Ruby Dee

Music by Marc Streiten$eld

Cinematography *arris Savides

Edited by +ietro Scalia

Production

company

,(a!ine "ntertain(ent

Scott -ree +roductions

Relativity Media

Distributed by .niversal +ictures

Release dates)ctober /01 2334 5'pollo Theater 6

 7ove(ber 21 2334 5.nited States6

Running time /89 (inutes

Country .nited States

Language "n!lish

Budget :/33 (illion;/<

Bo office :2==%8 (illion;/<

 American Gangster  is a 2334 '(erican bio!raphical cri(e $il( directed and produced byRidley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian% The $il( is based on the cri(inal career o$

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-rank &ucas1 a !an!ster $ro( &a Gran!e1 7orth Carolina who s(u!!led heroin into the.nited States on '(erican service planes returnin! $ro( the >ietna( ar 1 be$ore bein!detained by a task $orce led by detective Richie Roberts% The $il( stars Russell Crowe andDenzel ashin!ton in their $irst lead actin! roles to!ether since /008?s Virtuosity% The $il(also co@stars Ted &evine1 John )rtiz1 Josh Brolin1 Chiwetel "#io$or 1  7or(an Reedus1 Ruby

Dee1 &y(ari 7adal and Cuba Goodin! Jr%

Develop(ent $or the $il( initially be!an in 23331 when .niversal +ictures and ,(a!ine"ntertain(ent purchased the ri!hts to a New York  (a!azine story about the rise and $all o$&ucas% Two years later1 screenwriter Steven Zaillian introduced a /43@pa!e script(ent toScott% )ri!inal production plans were to co((ence in Toronto $or bud!et purposesAhowever1 production eventually relocated per(anently to 7ew ork City% Because o$ the$il(?s risin! bud!et .niversal canceled production in 233% '$ter ne!otiations with TerryGeor!e1 it was later revived with Scott at the hel( in March 2338% +rincipal photo!raphyco((enced over a period o$ $ive (onths $ro( July to Dece(ber 233=A $il(in! took placethrou!hout 7ew ork City and concluded in Thailand%

 American Gangster  pre(iered in 7ew ork on )ctober 231 23341 and was released in the.nited States and Canada on 7ove(ber 2% The $il( was well received by (ost $il( critics1and !rossed over .S:2==%8 (illion worldwide1 with do(estic !rosses standin! at :/3%/(illion% Many o$ the people portrayed1 includin! Roberts and &ucas1 have stated that the$il( took (any creative licenses with the story1 and three $or(er D"' a!ents sued.niversal clai(in! the a!ency?s portrayal was de(oralizin!% American Gangster  wasno(inated $or twenty@one awards1 includin! two 'cade(y 'ward no(inations $or Best 'rtDirection and Best Supportin! 'ctress 5Ruby Dee61 and won three includin! a Screen'ctors Guild 'ward $or )utstandin! +er$or(ance by a -e(ale 'ctor in a Supportin! Role$or Dee%

Plot

,n /0=91 -rank &ucas 5Denzel ashin!ton61 the li(o driver@turned@ri!ht@hand (an o$*arle( !an!ster  "llsworth EBu(pyE Johnson 5Clarence illia(s ,,,61 inherits Johnson?s!an! when Johnson dies o$ a heart attack% Dislikin! the new1 $lashy !an!sters o$ thenei!hborhood1 &ucas decides to take control o$ *arle(?s cri(e scene%

Meanwhile1 7ewark  detective Richie Roberts 5Russell Crowe6 is hated in his precinct $or bein! honest% '$ter his eFiled and addicted partner 5John )rtiz6 dies $ro( accidentallyoverdosin! on a relatively low@priced but unusually potent brand o$ heroin called EBlue

Ma!icE1 Captain &ou Toback 5Ted &evine6 puts Roberts in char!e o$ a task $orce tar!etin!(a#or dru! tra$$ickin! in "sseF County1 7ew Jersey% The investi!ation will $ocus on theactual supplier rather than the (iddle@(en%

Blue Ma!ic is bein! supplied by &ucas1 who has decided to buy his dru!s directly $ro( producers in Thailand1 which are then s(u!!led by .%S% service(en returnin! $ro( the>ietna( ar % This allows &ucas to provide a hi!her uality product at a cheaper price thanhis rivals1 eventually wholesalin! dru!s to (ost o$ the dealers in the 7ew ork  area% ith

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Blue Ma!ic?s (onopoly1 &ucas uickly (akes a $ortune1 buyin! several ni!htclubs tocontrol the casino and prostitution rin! as well1 and a lar!e estate in 7ew Jersey $or hishu(ble (other 5Ruby Dee6% &ucas? $ive brothers1 includin! *uey 5Chiwetel "#io$or 6 andTurner 5Co((on61 are enlisted as his lieutenants in the dru! trade and set up shop each atone o$ various locations throu!hout the $ive borou!hs% Durin! his rise to beco(in! the

 bi!!est !an! leader and dru! dealer in *arle(1 &ucas (eets and $alls in love with "va5&y(ari 7adal61 a +uerto Rican beauty ueen%

's &ucas? business prospers1 he (akes a point o$ operatin! uietly and dressin! with a(odest conservatis( both as a si!n o$ stren!th and to avoid attractin! the attention o$ the police1 since he is relatively unknown to the( and they are still $ar $ro( $indin! thesupplier o$ the Blue Ma!ic% 'lso1 he hi(sel$ stays away $ro( the dru!s to avoid (akin!hard decisions under the in$luence% *owever1 &ucas disre!ards this habit while attendin!the -i!ht o$ the Century with "va1 sportin! a !audy chinchilla $ur coat and hat !iven to hi( by "vaA Roberts attends the $i!ht1 notices the previously unknown &ucas with the coat witheven better seats than the ,talian (obsters1 and decides to investi!ate hi(%

Meanwhile1 &ucas is $orced to contend with &ucchese (a$ia boss Do(inic Cattano5'r(and 'ssante61 who threatens hi( with destroyin! his $a(ily unless he !ets a cut o$ adeal1 and corrupt 7+D detectives such as 7ick Trupo 5Josh Brolin61 who atte(pts toeFtort and black(ail hi( to !ive the( a cut% &ucas (ust also co(pete with local cri(e$i!ure 7icky Barnes 5Cuba Goodin! Jr%61 a youn! !un (otivated to take over *arle( whohas been dilutin! &ucas? Blue Ma!ic and sellin! it under the sa(e brand na(e% Thin!s takea turn $or the worse when the -all o$ Sai!on cuts o$$ &ucas? supply1 $orcin! hi( to rely onthe other cri(e rin!s%

Roberts? detectives witness -rank &ucas? cousin 5Malcol( Goodwin6 shoot a wo(an andthen use his driver?s predica(ent to !et hi( to wear a wire% This allows Roberts and his task $orce to identi$y and search one o$ the last planes carryin! &ucas? stock1 discoverin! BlueMa!ic in the co$$ins o$ dead returnin! service(enA this evidence allows the( to obtain awarrant to $ollow dru!s into 7ewark?s pro#ects and &ucas? heroin processin! $acility% Thisresults in a shootout1 in which Steve &ucas 5T%,%61 -rank &ucas? youn! nephew who !ave upa pro(isin! career $or the 7ew ork ankees to #oin &ucas? $a(ily1 is killed% Meanwhile1Trupo and his (en break into &ucas? (ansion and kill his do! in order to steal hise(er!ency cash supply hidden under the do!house% "arlier1 &ucas had Trupo?s prizedShelby Mustan! destroyed1 and althou!h he is now out $or Trupo?s li$e1 his (otherdissuades hi( $ro( killin! a cop1 warnin! hi( that she and "va will leave hi( i$ he does%&ucas is arrested a$ter Roberts? tea( conducts a raid on all o$ his shops run by his brothers%

,n the police station1 Roberts !ives &ucas a chance at a shorter #ail sentence i$ he aids hisinvesti!ation% &ucas initially o$$ered to bribe Roberts1 but in the end &ucas providesRoberts with the na(es o$ dirty cops in the 7+D1 out o$ respect $or Roberts?incorruptibility% ,n the end1 three uarters o$ the 7ew ork D"' are arrested and convicted1and a distrau!ht Trupo co((its suicide to avoid arrest% Roberts1 havin! passed the bareFa(1 prosecutes &ucas1 who1 once it beco(es clear he will be convicted1 providesevidence that leads to (ore than one@hundred $urther dru!@related convictions1 while he

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hi(sel$ is sentenced to 43 years in prison1 o$ which he serves /8 years and is released in/00/%

!ilming

 be!an in July 233= in 7ew ork City%;/4<

  American Gangster  was $il(ed over a period o$approFi(ately $our (onths in over /93 di$$erent locations1 (ost o$ the( across 7ew orkAit set the record $or containin! the hi!hest nu(ber o$ $il(in! locations o$ a (ovie%;2/< Two(onths were spent in 7ew ork1 with all the city?s $ive borou!hs  bein! used%'pproFi(ately $i$ty to siFty locations were set in *arle( alone% hile in thenei!hbourhood1 Scott stated that he $ound several interiors that had been untouched sincethe /03s%;2/< 'ccordin! to production desi!ner 'rthur MaF1 eFhaustive location scoutin!was done to $ind parts o$ 7ew ork that could still rese(ble the city o$ the early /043s1$il(in! &ucas? headuarters at //=th Street 23 blocks north1 on /=th Street%;2< ,n hisinterview with Co(in!Soon%net1 Scott stated that E;he< #ust walked in ;%%%< and ;%%%< #ustsho;o<t in the house%E Several !as (asks were brou!ht by producers due to health hazards

and sanitary concerns eFistin! in the buildin!s% Scott $ound $il(in! in *arle( to bedi$$icult1 co((entin! that the rapid !entri$ication in *arle( provided poor opportunities$or shootin! an!les%;2/< *and@held ca(eras were eFtensively used to depict a E!uerrilla$il((akin!E style%;2<

)ther locations $or principal photo!raphy include the Brooklyn 7avy ard1 the 7assau>eterans Me(orial Coliseu(1 )ld estbury Gardens1 a se!(ent o$ the Geor!e ashin!tonBrid!e1 and the Brooklyn Supre(e Courthouse% Briarcli$$ Manor  in upstate 7ew ork  hadthe locations $or both the &ucas $ar( and the estate &ucas buys $or his $a(ily%;2< -il(in!locations be!an settin! up in Thailand in 7ove(ber 233=1 a$ter Branko &usti! consultedwith Suvit od(anee1 the country?s touris( (inister %;28< -il(in! $or American Gangster  

concluded in Chian! Mai the $ollowin! (onth%;28<

.sin! his eFperience $ro( visitin! 7ew ork in the sa(e ti(e period in which the $il(?sstory took place1 Scott sou!ht to downplay a EBeatlesE at(osphere to the $il( and toinstead create a shabbier at(osphere1 sayin! that E*arle( was really1 really shabby1 beauti$ul brownstones $allin! apart%E;2/< +roduction and costu(e desi!n was e(phasized1trans$or(in! the location into the rundown streets o$ upper Manhattan $ro( the late /0=3sand early /043s% Denzel ashin!ton1 as -rank &ucas1 went throu!h = di$$erent costu(echan!es%;2=<