Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington lead this movie while Washington stars as the gang boss Frank Lucas who is pursued by a cop (Richie Roberts) portrayed by Crowe.

Among the people who did help to bring heroin to Harlem was the notorious Frank Lucas. During the early 1970s, Lucas was the most powerful drug dealer in New York, a chinchilla-clad kingpin who amassed a $50-million fortune by selling the purest heroin on the market. He imported his narcotics directly from Vietnam, smuggling them back in the coffins of dead American soldiers. In building his crime empire, he was personally responsible for many deaths.

This shady individual is the subject of Ridley Scott latest film, American Gangster, in which Washington stars as Lucas, and Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, the cop who brought him to justice. In the opening act, Lucas is seen distributing turkeys to the people of Harlem, like a latterday Robin Hood. “There has always been a history for those on the other side of the law, who have made a lot of money from it, to spread the wealth,” adds Washington. “I don’t know whether people loved Lucas for that, but they took the turkeys, and in his mind they loved him for it.”

Jay-Z will release his concept album inspired by the movie and also called American Gangster tomorrow (November 6).

Listen to the tracks Roc Boys and Success featuring Nas in our Audio Section.