American Gangsta, Movie Review Example

American Gangster is the story of Frank Lucas, and his meteoric rise to become the most lucrative heroin dealer in the United States in the late 1960s to early 1970s. After coming to age as the personal assistant of Harlem’s Bumpy Johnson, prior to his dearth, the film chronicles the strategic genius of Lucas who ultimately cut out middling handlers, and instead imported heroin from Thailand and through Vietnam. A complex narrative, one is provided many facts to identify the negatives of drug dealing, wherein addictions and deaths skyrocketed, but the positives provided include Lucas’ business ethic, preferring a more low-key and out-of-the-limelight approach, and his overcoming rampant racism mirrored through the entire society, not just drug dealing. Lucas established relations that allowed his uncut product to be shipped on United States military airplanes.

Bangkok, Thailand in the 1970s played a pivotal role in the movie industry. Social issues that were occurring at the time can not be understated.  According to film reference, “The 1970s were a time of substantial political and social unrest in Thailand: national power changed hands, sometimes violently, on a number of occasions, and the decade ended with a military-backed administration in power and many left-leaning activists forced into hiding” (“Mainland Southeast Asia,” n.d.). Notwithstanding, this turmoil contributed to a growth in socially conscious films in the region, and the Thai industry particularly. Similarly, Vietnamese society was embroiled in the chaos of war from the middle 1950s to the middle 1970s, whereby the agrarian-based population was devastated, overall protection of its people was compromised, and its social development was severely impeded. Conservative estimates show that nearly two million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians died in the war, with prostitution and migration outside of the country peaking at high levels. The outward migrations resulted from the fact that the war caused significant internal overcrowding.

One sociological concept found in the movie comes from week six’s discourse on race and ethnicity. “No black man has accomplished what the American mafia hasn’t in 100 years,” (Grazer & Scott, 2007) stated one of the officials in response to detective Richie Roberts’ evidence to the contrary. The key concepts that most apply are stereotypes, and institutional prejudice and discrimination. It becomes unfathomable for the powers that be to concede what lay before them through an intense investigation by Roberts: this black man was operating above the Italian mafia and all other high levels of organized crime.  Another concept found in the movie comes from week six as well. Global stratification and examples of Thailand and Vietnam as low-income nations stand out. Despite dependency theory’s emphasis on income inequality and cultural conflict, neither prevent Lucas’ Thailand supplier from financially maximizing in the vein of capitalism. Through the negotiating scene, the suitor ask Lucas “how will you get it into the states…who are you dealing with…who do you represent?” (Grazer & Scott, 2007). Although for different purposes than the American mafia in the United States, the suitor appears equally perplexed when considering Lucas’ plan of action.

In conclusion, sociological concepts of racism and globalization are prevalent throughout the film. Racial perceptions impact both Lucas’ competitors and the legal forces attempting to bring him down. Of equal significance is the third world perception of poverty and dependency on the western world for prosperity. In ironic fashion, American Gangster portrays how raw Thailand heroin is intern flipped for tremendous profit inside the “first world” United States.

References

Grazer, Brian and Scott, Ridley (Producer), & Scott, Ridley (Director). (2 November 2007). American gangster [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Pictures.

Mainland Southeast Asia. (n.d.). In film reference. Retrieved from http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Mainland-Southeast-Asia-THAILAND.html#ixzz0qgchoXu5