Why 'Gangsta'?

American Gangster was all the rave for the past couple of weeks. The anticipations and expectations were high for the true story of the life of Frank Lucas. The message I feel that some people got from this movie was a reassurance that drug dealing was ‘okay’; how selling drugs makes you a rich man. Unfortunately with all the rave that the movie did bring it also brought upon a way of acceptance to the gangster lifestyle for the unguided youth of today. When you see a man like Frank Lucas making 1 million a day selling heroin it becomes tempting. Easy money is what everyone is looking for. In this paper I intend to argue that after watching this movie a lot of people involved with this drug infested life style did not see the light or have an epiphany about their wrong doings, instead they saw hope in achieving what Frank Lucas once had. This man went to jail and had his sentence shortened by snitching on other drug lords and crooked cops but the one thing that was clear to everyone is that he became a billionaire from drug dealing alone.

When people who grew up in areas where drugs pollute the streets, they do not see too many ways out they see hustling as their first option; either you are selling it or you are doing it. The movie glorified being a gangster and I am sure the thought of dealing ran through everyone’s mind after viewing the film. In American Gangster you are shown every angle of dealing. Despite the crooked cops and strung out ‘drugies’, what the viewers retained was money makes the world go round. There may not have been a particular message when making this movie but people created their own after watching it. The thought of working hard for a legitimate job and getting paid 50k a year seemed stupid when you see Frank Lucas hustling making millions in a day. The problem is that all people see is fast money that stacks big, but what people fail to realize is that the community around you and the youth is the one that suffers the most. The fact is that drugs kill dreams, so when your number one aim is to sell as much drugs to make the most profit, of course that is going to have a negative effect on the community. From the aspect of a movie critic this film was well acted by Denzel and Russell Crowe and the directing gave me a somewhat perception of the reality Frank Lucas endured. Maybe exaggeration on the things he lost such as family members in the cross fire or the constant fear of when his empire would soon come to an end. I just do not understand why people who deal have this perceived notion of, ‘ I’m gonna make my money any way I can’ no matter who’s neck they have to step on, but at the cost of what? Corrupting the bodies of young kids and doing the opposite of aiding our community. In turn where is the enjoyment of a sinful life that not only brings down the provider but also the users, living in fear and not trusting those around you should have been what viewers ought to have focused on.