Drugs and the law, such a love story, a never-ending corrupted love story

Rating: 7/10 (6 January 2008)

Here's another movie about drugs. This time it's about heroin, which is certainly worse than cocaine (I'm thinking of We own the night). It's a true story and that's what makes the movie exciting, to think that the whole thing took place not even 40 years ago, that Frank Lucas (and Nicky Barnes) gave an interview to the NY Times in 2000 and is still alive. Richie Roberts, the cop, is also alive. Both of them helped the actors, Crowe and Washington, in building up their roles for the movie.
It's always weird to think that a guy who, directly or not, caused the death of so many people is still alive and still making money indirectly from his old drug business. The movie doesn't depict him as a hero, for some reason you never find yourself hating the man at any moment. Maybe it's the suit or maybe it's because Denzel Washington doesn't look like a dealer. I don't know. But you can ask yourself a question: what's responsible for all the bad things, is it the drug dealing or is it corruption? OK, the drug business is an open door to corruption. But what really makes you angry in the movie is not so much the junkies dying like rats, no, it's all the corruption the drug business brings about. Money is money, no matter where it comes from. You want it, you take it and you'd better not turn your conscience on. But Crowe does and that's what leads him and his boys to arrest Frank Lucas. Crowe is this very upright, honest cop who resists to keep for himself thousands of dollars he randomly finds in a car at the beginning of the movie; he accepts no bribes; he believes in the law and becomes an attorney.
But at the end, he paradoxically finds himself in a position that requires him to ask for Lucas' help to get the NY corrupted cops arrested. That's the best part of the movie. The most amusing is to read that the two men became friends in their real lives. It's also crazy to learn that 3/4 of the NY police cops where corrupted by the drug business...and that the heroin came into the US thanks to the US Army planes, hidden in the dead veterans' coffins! Then who's to blame really? I'm not saying drug is not a bad thing. I just think it's a fake problem. You don't feel bad for the junkies because you know they would be junkies anyway. You feel bad for the cops, for the army, for any officials who make their living on bribes, leaving the dealers alone. You feel that you live in a corrupted world all wrapped in hypocrisy. Arrest as many dealers as you want, it won't solve the drug problem. Why? Because the states somehow take part in the drug business while they claim drugs are evil. It's never-ending.
OK I didn't really talk about the movie itself but more of what it inspired me. So yes, it's a great movie, the actors are good, it's well-written and flawless. I would just say that the story is quite long to begin and not all the first scenes are relevant for the rest of the story. It's also very violent but I don't pay attention to that since everything is so violent now. I liked it because it makes you think, it's not a basic action-movie, it's far more than that.