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American Gangster
Movie

American Gangster

2007 • Biography, Crime, Drama

Woke Score
4
out of 10

Plot

Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. As a result, his product is superior to what is currently available on the street and his prices are lower. His alliance with the New York Mafia ensures his position. It is also the story of a dedicated and honest policeman, Richie Roberts, who heads up a joint narcotics task force with the Federal government. Based on a true story.

Overall Series Review

American Gangster is a 2007 crime epic that focuses on the parallel lives of the ambitious, methodical drug lord Frank Lucas and the incorruptible, obsessive detective Richie Roberts. The narrative pits Lucas's ruthless, merit-based success in the criminal underworld against Roberts's singular fight for justice in a system rotting with corruption. The film critiques American institutions and the dark side of the American Dream, depicting widespread moral decay, particularly among the police force and the military, with the ultimate transgression involving the smuggling of heroin in the coffins of dead US soldiers. Female characters are relegated to traditional, supporting roles, often victims or sources of domestic strife, and the hyper-masculine world of the 1970s crime drama avoids modern 'Girl Boss' tropes. The core conflict acknowledges objective morality through the stark contrast between Roberts's integrity and the moral vacuum of those around him, including Lucas.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics5/10

The film contrasts the successful, Black drug lord Frank Lucas with the widespread corruption of the mostly white New York police and Italian Mafia establishments. The critique focuses on a broken, corrupt 'system' that provides unequal opportunities and pits an honest white cop against the corrupt white establishment, rather than vilifying whiteness itself. The casting is historically authentic to the real-life figures.

Oikophobia8/10

The narrative's central act of moral rot involves Frank Lucas smuggling heroin inside the flag-draped coffins of dead US soldiers returning from Vietnam. This act, coupled with the systemic and pervasive depiction of police corruption, serves as a strong indictment of American institutions and an exploration of the nation's moral disintegration during that era.

Feminism2/10

The film is heavily rooted in the hyper-masculine 1970s crime genre. Female characters are supporting figures, such as a 'trophy wife' or a disgruntled ex-wife. Women associated with the drug operation are depicted as nude heroin packers in a degrading context, which is the antithesis of the 'Girl Boss' or Mary Sue trope.

LGBTQ+1/10

No elements of alternative sexualities being centered, deconstruction of the nuclear family through a queer theory lens, or gender ideology lecturing are present. The film adheres strictly to a normative male-female structure, though the male characters' flaws lead to family breakdown.

Anti-Theism3/10

The film features characters who profess faith and attend church, using the 'churchgoing gangster' trope to highlight hypocrisy rather than attacking religion itself. The honest detective, Richie Roberts, is defined by his integrity and commitment to a higher moral law, which provides a grounding in objective truth that counteracts the moral relativism of the criminal underworld and corrupt police force.