American Gangster: The Complete First Season, which appeared on BET, is a series of documentaries on some of the most notorious African-American criminals in history. Each of the six episodes that make up the first season focus on an individual criminal and detail their background, crimes and other general information about each, including the voices of supporters and detractors. Among the six criminals featured, the one that will probably stand out the most is the story of "Tookie" Williams, mostly because his story is the most well-known, or at least controversial, of the six. Tookie, for those who need a memory jog, was the founder of the Crips gang whose death sentence set off a firestorm of controversy after his renunciation of gangs. Other profiled criminals include The Chambers Brothers, Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols, The Smith Brothers, "Freeway" Ricky Ross and "Nicky" Barnes, who also went by the name of "Mr. Untouchable." (Interestingly enough, his chief rival was Frank Lucas, whose story is told in the upcoming movie American Gangster). Though Tookie's story is the more current, the remaining stories and crimes are just as colorful as their nicknames.
Each episode tells the stories of each through interviews with family members, friends and even enemies. When the show sticks strictly to the facts, it is at its best. One of the best episodes involves the Smith Brothers. The episode sticks strictly to the facts and comes off really well. Other episodes aren't as successful and eventually become bogged down with everything from excuses to conspiracy theories.
While the overarching message is that their actions are negative, it is also quick to point out the larger social issues and other problems in their respective communities as a sort of justification. Some are rationalized as a reaction to their environments, while others weren't as bad as the system made them out to be. One episode even trots out a well-worn, long-disproved urban legend involving the CIA. Moments like these hurt the show's credibility. Although experts, mostly journalists and police officers, are brought in as counter arguments, the come off as weak when compared to interviews from family and friends. Why not interview a victim or two?
In addition to the six 40-minute episodes, American Gangsters also includes extended interviews, including one with "Tookie" William's son, Travon. A sneak peak of the second season is also included.
Though it tries its best to try and skate the line between "praise" and "condemnation," each episode seems to highlight each person's life. In the end, I think this is the biggest reason for me not enjoying American Gangster as much as I thought I would. Although it attempts to de-glamorize their life and crimes, at the same time the message isn't nearly as powerful as it should be thanks to the excuses presented for each. In light of this, American Gangster is still a decent documentary for those interested.
