Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), the quiet driver for one of Harlem's leading black crime bosses in the 1970s. But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire. Lucas outplays all of the leading crime syndicates and becomes not only one of the city's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of legit civic superstars. Richie Roberts is an outcast cop close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Both Lucas and Roberts share a rigorous ethical code that sets them apart from their own colleagues, which makes them lone figures on opposite sides of the law. The destinies of these two men will become intertwined as they approach a confrontation in which only one of them can come out on top. "Call it the black Scarface or `the Harlem Godfather' or just one hell of an exciting movie." (Rolling Stone) More at americangangster.net 35mm
2007, color, 2 hours 37 minutes, USA