RIVAL GANGSTER MOVIES TELL TWO SIDES OF THE STORY

The film American Gangster and documentary Mr. Untouchable both tell stories of Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes.

There are two schools of thought in Hollywood right now involving who was the real drug kingpin in Harlem circa 1970s, Frank Lucas or Nicky Barnes. The two men’s stories are both featured on celluloid.

Lucas’ side of the story is told through the eyes of director Ridley Scott in American Gangster, and Barnes’ version of events is told by Mr Untouchable himself direct from the witness protection in the documentary from Damon Dash. Cuba Gooding, Jr. who portrays Barnes in American Gangster offers his opinion of their rivalry.

“In the film they’re rival dealers. I think in Frank Lucas’ case he had more access to get the pure heroin and bring it into Harlem and then the individual dealers would buy it from him and then distribute it themselves. And you know Nicky had an enterprise that was controlling but I think he needed to get the product from somebody so I think that was the relationship that he bought his product but he didn’t follow a lot of the rules that Frank Lucas had set down so that put some tension between the two.”

You can come to your own conclusion about what’s fact and what’s fiction by catching Mr. Untouchable which is currently playing in theaters and American Gangster, opening Friday November 2nd.