History Film / AmericanGangster

* TantrumThrowing: Lucas does this while ranting about someone trying to kill his wife.

* DaChief: Captain Lou Toback, Richie's honest superior.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: Played with. Frank's unquestionably a criminal but he's matched against Italian gangsters, the largely-corrupt NYPD and ineffectual Federal agents, Ritchie's team excepted of course.

* AffablyEvil:

* DirtyCop:
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Trupo]]

* GoodIsNotNice: Richie Roberts.

* TruthInTelevision: Well, it's based on Frank Lucas' life.
** The business of smuggling drugs in coffins was disputed though.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: As were ''many'' other aspects of both Frank Lucas' and Richie Roberts' life. For example, the latter never had children, yet spends the movie in a custody battle with his ex. Meanwhile, Frank Lucas and his wife had seven children, his wife herself was arrested and convicted for involvement with Frank's drug business, and the two have been married for over 40 years--completely the opposite of what was portrayed in the film--the Lucas' are childless, his wife is aware of his business, but uninvolved, and she leaves him after his arrest.

* CorruptCop: Everyone except Ritchie. ''Three quarters of New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency'' end up convicted by the end of the film.
** [[AllForNothing The dirty cops shown in the film in fact resold all of the heroin]] seized from TheFrenchConnection.

* TheMole: Frank's cousin/driver

* RageQuit: Lucas does this while ranting about someone trying to kill his wife.

* TantrumThrowing: Lucas does this while ranting about someone trying to kill his wife.

* AffablyEvil

* EnemyMine: At the end of the film, Frank and Ritchie cooperate to put NYC's corrupt cops in prison. In return for information, Frank's sentence is reduced by 55 years. [[spoiler: Ritchie eventually becomes a defense attourney. His first client is Frank Lucas. A deleted scene had Ritchie picking up Lucas from jail and helping him find a place, but Scott thought it was too much of a genre shift from gangster film to buddy film.]]

** [[AllForNothing The dirty cops shown in the film in fact resold all of the heroin seized from TheFrenchConnection]].

** [[spoiler: And then it's humorously undone a little when they're consultants during filming and get back into their old roles as adversaries. Ritchie (paraphrased): "Lucas's having too much fun, and I want to arrest him again!"]]

* DidNotDoResearch: At one point we see Nicky Barnes sniffing either heroine or cocaine. Nicky did abuse drugs as a teen and became addicted. However, during his first stay in prison, he withdrew so bad that he swore he would never touch drugs again. Its also the reason he maintained himself for so long.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: Played with. Frank's unquestionably a criminal but he's matched against the largely-corrupt NYPD and ineffectual Federal agents, Ritchie's team excepted of course.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: Played with. Frank's unquestionably a criminal but he's matched against the largely-corrupt NYPD and ineffectual Federal agents, Ritchie's team excepted of course. * MoodDissonance: One sequence shows Frank having a hearty Thanksgiving dinner in his mansion with his family, and contrasts it with Ritchie's crappy excuse of a dinner and drug addicts overdosing on Frank's product.

* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Frank tries to persuade nephew Steve, a talented baseball player, to pursue a pro career. He even arranges an interview the manager of the New York Yankees. Frank is understandably upset when Steve decides to stick with the family business and is killed during a shootout with police.

* MoodDissonance: One sequence shows Frank having a hearty Thanksgiving dinner in his mansion with his family, and contrasts it with Ritchie's crappy excuse of a dinner and drug addicts overdosing on Frank's product.

* DawsonCasting: The real Richie Roberts was roughly twenty years younger than Russell Crowe at the time of the events. His age is never stated in the film, likely to avoid this.

''American Gangster'' is a 2007 crime film directed by RidleyScott and starring DenzelWashington and RussellCrowe. Washington portrays Frank Lucas, a real-life gangster from [[TheSeventies 1970s]] Harlem who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. Crowe portrays Richie Roberts, a detective attempting to bring down Lucas' drug empire.

* CorruptCop: Everyone except Ritchie. ''Three quarters of New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency'' end up convicted by the end of the film.

* {{Badass}}: Frank Lucas. He kills someone in broad daylight and then goes back to eating with his family like nothing happened.