American Gangster: The Complete First Season DVD Review
By Dan MacIntosh
When Stanley “Tookie” Williams was executed on December 13, 2005, he was as famous as any rap star. But unlike many hip-hop toughs, he didn’t need to prove his credentials. He was a cold-blooded killer; a man who is credited with helping start the violent Crips gang. But, to some, Williams was an example of criminal reform for some. He’d written children’s books in later life and was even nominated for a Nobel Prize. Whether you loved him or hated him, however, there’s no denying what a complicated cat he was.
Rather than merely glorify gory and debilitating criminal exploits, American Gangster: The Complete First Season also a presents a little of modern history of crime – especially drug crime – in America. The story of “Freeway” Ricky Ross and how he helped introduce crack cocaine to the West Coast is one illuminating portion. With the Chambers Brothers, siblings from Arkansas, we see how they did much the same thing popularizing the same drug in Detroit. The story of Leroy “Nicky” Barnes is the tale of how heroin got its hooks into the East Coast, while Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols was also a well known East Coast drug lord. In stark contrast, Troy & Dino Smith were thieves who pulled off the biggest jewel heist in San Francisco history.
Most of these criminals were also smart people. This intelligence factor makes you think back to those old crime movies, where the officer would wonder out loud what would have happened if a captured criminal had used applied intelligence to good rather than evil. “Freeway” Ricky Ross is described being smart and talented when in high school, and Stanley “Tookie” Williams was literate enough to write books. And the way the Chambers Brothers organized their crack houses, with specific universal guidelines, might make a few legitimate businessmen jealous of their advanced techniques. These weren’t lazy bums; instead, they were merely sharp entrepreneurs on the wrong side of the law.
Much of this material is overwhelmingly depressing. When you watch image after image of how crack cocaine devastated America’s inner cities, you realize what a holocaust these flashy but deadly bad guys created. Even so, there are a few touches of humor, such as the time Stanley “Tookie” Williams appeared on The Gong Show. As hard as is it might be to believe, there is a clip of Williams, greased up like the bodybuilder he aspired to be, showing off his physique on TV. But this moment also points out just how brazen he was, appearing on a national show at a time when he was also deeply into the drug trade.
Although these various profiles focus on African-American crooks, this Ving Rhames-narrated documentary series is essential viewing for anyone who is the least bit interested in modern American crime.
