I didn't know much about this film before I went to see it. Obviously I knew it was a gangster film and I am not averse to good gangster films but I did not realise that it is based on a true story.
Frank Lucas was an inventive and violent drug dealer in New York in the late '60s and early '70s. He found a way to obtain high quality, cheap heroin and sold it at a price that could not be beaten. He created a smack supermarket. He must have been indirectly responsible for a great deal of misery and early death in Harlem.
Despite this negativity Lucas was a 'good family man' who always took his mum to church on Sunday. He rubbed shoulders with the good and the great. He made a lot of money before he was finally arrested.
Lucas admitted all his crimes and gave evidence that led to the conviction of many corrupt policemen and criminals. He was released from prison after 16 years.
I enjoyed the film. It is well made and is one of Ridley Scott's better films. The only thing that made me uneasy was the thought that some people might see Lucas as a role-model. That would not be good.
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