American Gangster
American Gangster

Frank Lucas: The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Dominic Cattano: Success. It's got enemies. You can be successful and have enemies or you can be unsuccessful and have friends.

American Gangster
American Gangster

[from trailer]
Frank Lucas: See, ya are what ya are in this world. That's either one of two things: Either you're somebody, or you ain't nobody.

American Gangster
American Gangster

[repeated line]
Frank Lucas: My man.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Frank Lucas: The most important thing in business is honesty, integrity, hardwork... family... never forgetting where we came from.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Chinese General: It's not in my best interest to say this Frank, but quitting while you're ahead, is not the same as quitting.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Frank Lucas: The man I worked for, he had one of the biggest companies in New York City- he ran it for more than fifty years. Fifteen years, eight months, nine days- I was with him every day. I looked after him, took care of him, protected him... I learned from him. Bumpy was rich, but he wasn't white man rich, you see he wasn't wealthy. He didn't own his own company. He thought

he did, but he didn't. He just managed it. White man owned it so they owned him. Nobody owns me, though. Because I own my company. And my company sells a product that's better than the competition at a price that's lower than the competition.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Frank Lucas: What is that you got on?
Huey Lucas: What? This?
Frank Lucas: Yeah, that.
Huey Lucas: This is a very, very, very nice suit.
Frank Lucas: That's a very, very, very nice suit, huh?
Huey Lucas: Yeah.
Frank Lucas: That's a clown

suit. That's a costume, with a big sign on it that says "Arrest me". You understand? You're too loud, you're making too much noise. Listen to me, the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Frank Lucas: My man. You know what normal is to me? I ain't see normal since I was 6 years old. Normal is seeing the police ride up to my house, dragging my 12 year old cousin out and tying him to a pole, shoving a shotgun in his mouth so hard they bust his teeth, then they bust two shotgun shells in his head, knocking it off. That's what normal is to me. Didn't give a fuck about

no police then... Don't give a fuck about no police now.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Detective Richie Roberts: Laurie, look, I'm sorry I never gave you the kind of life you wanted, all right.I'm sorry it was never enough.Don't punish me for being honest.Don't take my boy away.
Laurie Roberts: What are you saying? That because you were honest and you didn't take money like every other cop, I left you? No, you don't take money for one reason.

To buy being dishonest about everything else. And that's worse than taking money nobody gives a shit about.Drug money, gambling money nobody's gonna miss. You know, I'd rather you took it and been honest with me. Or don't take it. I don't care. But then don't go cheat on me.Don't cheat on your kid by never being around. Don't go out and get laid by your snitches and your secretaries and

strippers.I can tell by just looking,she's one of them. You think you're going to heaven because you're honest, but you're not You're going to the same hell as the crooked cops you can't stand.

American Gangster
American Gangster

[from trailer]
Frank Lucas: This is my home. My country. Frank Lucas don't run from nobody. This is America.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Detective Richie Roberts: The number one fear of people isn't dying, it's public speaking.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Frank Lucas: Ey, ey, ey, ey! Don't rub on that. You Blot that! Ya understand? That's Alpaca. That's $25,000 Alpaca! You blot that shit! You don't rub it, put the club soda on there.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Detective Richie Roberts: Good work Frank. You... want a drink or something? Celebrate?
Frank Lucas: You got any holy water?

American Gangster
American Gangster

[Detective Trupo notices Richie's plans to arrest Frank Lucas]
Detective Trupo: What's this? Don't tell me you're actually gonna arrest Frank Lucas, are you?
Detective Richie Roberts: What? Haven't you heard? We're all fucking crazy over here. You know what we do here? Cops... arrest... bad guys. The next time you come across the bridge, you should

call me first. Just make sure it's safe.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Tango: What the fuck you gonna do Frank, huh? You gonna shoot me, in front of everybody? Huh? Come on...
[Frank shoots him]

American Gangster
American Gangster

Frank Lucas: Now, I got no problem with you showin' up in court tomorrow with your head blown in half.
Detective Richie Roberts: Get in line. That one stretches around the block too.

American Gangster
American Gangster

[from trailer]
Frank Lucas: I got Harlem. I took care of Harlem, so Harlem's gonna take care of me.

American Gangster
American Gangster

[last title cards]
Title cards: Frank Lucas was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics and sentenced to 70 years.
Title cards: Federal authorities confiscated over 250 million dollars of Frank's assets in U.S. and foreign banks.
Title cards: Frank and Richie's collaboration led to the conviction of three quarters of New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency.

Title cards: Thirty members of Frank's family were convicted of drug trafficking and sent to prison.
Title cards: Frank's wife returned to Puerto Rico.
Title cards: His mother moved back to North Carolina.
Title cards: Richie Roberts quit the Prosecutor's Office to become a defense attorney. His first client was Frank Lucas.
Title cards: For his cooperation, Frank's

prison sentence was reduced to 15 years. He was released in 1991.

American Gangster
American Gangster

Detective Richie Roberts: His name is Frank Lucas, originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, he has a couple of arrests years ago for gambling and for carrying an unlicensed firearm. For fifteen years he was Bumpy Johnson's driver, bodyguard and collector. Hhe was with him when he died, he has five brothers, he's the oldest and a lot of cousins, they're all living up here now,

spread out in the five boroughs and New Jersey. His brother's businesses are the distribution and collection points of Frank's dope and his money. Everything about Frank's life seems unpretentious and broadly legitimate, he starts early, gets up at 5am, has breakfast in a diner in Harlem usually by himself, then he starts work, takes a meeting with his accountant and with his lawyer. At nights he

usually stays at home, if he does go out, it's only one of two clubs or a handful of restaurants with his wife, ball players, musicians and his friends and never organized crime guys. Sundays he takes his mother to church and changes the flowers on Bumpy's grave, every Sunday no matter what.