An impressive crime drama inspired by real life events

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2017)

In the 1960s Frank Lucas worked as a driver 'Bumpy' Johnson; when Bumpy dies Frank takes over his New York drugs empire. It is a time when heroin is expensive and low grade but Frank decides to do something about that he cuts out the various middlemen and buys directly from a producer in South East Asia and uses contacts in the US Military to fly the drugs from war-torn Vietnam to the States. Soon his high grade, low price 'Blue Magic' heroin his the streets of New York and nearby New Jersey. Meanwhile Richie Roberts, a cop who has lost the trust of his corrupt colleagues after handing in a million dollars of drug money he found rather than stealing it, is asked to head a new anti-drug task force. At first Frank isn't even on their radar; he is African American and everybody 'knows' the drugs trade is run by the Mafia. As the years pass Frank comes to dominate the local drugs trade and inevitable finds himself in the sights of Richie, who wants to arrest him, and corrupt cops, who want a slice of the action.
This is a really solid crime drama in a similar vein to films like 'The French Connection'. The film impressively captures the feel of the late '60s and early '70s. There is no question that Frank is a villain but even though we see that he is a murderer and has no moral problems with ruining more lives with heroin he is likable. Denzel Washington really impresses in the roll. Russell Crowe contrasts nicely as Richie Roberts, an honest cop who is determined to get his man even if that means making enemies. The rest of the cast, which includes plenty of fine actors, does a fine job too. At two and a half hours the film certainly isn't short but I was never bored. I liked how the passing of time was marked by the progress of the Vietnam War; something which also plays a key role in Frank's drug supply. Overall this is an impressive crime thriller that is definitely worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.