24 American Gangster Trivia Questions & Answers

Answer: Frank shot Tango.

By the time Frank's brothers arrived from North Carolina, his Blue Magic heroin was being sold all over New York. Tango had been given Blue Magic to sell on his turf and owed Frank a percentage of the sales. This was an issue earlier in the film when Tango wanted his percentage from Frank. However, after Frank came back from Asia with the more popular Blue Magic, Tango became the buyer and then owed Frank. Tango scoffed at giving Frank his 20%, and that prompted Frank to pull out a gun and point it at Tango's head (despite being in a large crowd on the street). Before Tango could finish asking Frank what he planned on doing with the gun, Frank pulled the trigger and shot Tango at point blank range. Tango was killed instantly. The crowd scattered, and Frank calmly took money from Tango's pocket. He then returned to the cafe to finish his meal with his brothers.

Answer: It got bit by a person.

His partner assured him it would be an easy service, and that Richie only had to toss the paperwork into the apartment. However, things went bad, and as Richie tried to keep the guy from slamming the door shut, he used his arm to wedge it open. It was then the guy in the apartment bit Richie's hand.

Answer: Driver

Several people in the movie referred to Frank as Bumpy's driver. After Bumpy died, a gangster named Tango offered Frank the job of being his driver. Frank Lucas was with Bumpy every day he worked for him, and learned a lot of the business traits that would help him succeed after Bumpy died.

Answer: The two of them would be black balled by the other cops.

Richie's partner said that the other police believe "A cop who turns in money turns in cops who take money", and "Cops do not trust cops who turn in money." Despite his concerns, Richie turned the money in. As Richie and his partner were counting the money, the other cops in the station stared at them. As Richie was leaving the police station after counting and logging the money, a voice could be heard calling Richie a "boy scout". Richie would have a hard time finding cops who would work with him. Richie's partner would go on to to have trouble in his job as well.

Answer: The Vietnam War

It was the news reports coming in from Vietnam that gave Frank Lucas the idea of buying his drugs direct from those people who produced them. By cutting out the extra cost of going through middle men, Frank was able to sell his drugs at a lower price than his competitors.

Answer: throw a baseball

When we first saw Stevie it was at a Thanksgiving dinner at Frank's home. One of Frank's brothers told him about his son's amazing arm, and that he could be a pitcher in the big leagues. Later in the movie, Stevie was set up with an interview with a scout from the New York Yankees. However, Stevie became so impressed with Frank's drug organization, that he lost all interest in playing baseball. He wanted what his uncle Frank had.

Answer: Overdosed

Not long after Frank Lucas' Blue Magic hit the streets, Richie got a call late one night to go see the coroner. The coroner informed Richie that it was an overdose. When he got to the office, he saw his partner on the slab. Among his partner's possessions was a little blue envelope of Blue Magic.

Answer: The Bar Exam

Richie attended night school, and eventually took the exam. Richie received the letter saying he passed the Bar Exam, and he taped it to the lamp on his desk. He stayed on to work the investigation that brought Frank Lucas to justice. He eventually assisted in the prosecution of Frank, and even took him on as a client.

Answer: Small's

It was never made clear in the movie why Frank owned a night club. It was at this club that he met the lady who would become his wife. She asked him if it was his club, and why he named it Small's instead of Frank's. Joe Louis had been a guest at the club and later in the film one cop saw Wilt Chamberlain walking out of the club.

Answer: Las Vegas

Throughout the movie, Richie was in and out of court battling his ex-wife over their son. While Richie and his ex walked through a park, she told Richie that she wanted to move to Las Vegas because she had a sister who lived there. This of course did not go over well with Richie. The last time Richie showed up in court was to inform the judge he would not contest her request to move with their son.

Answer: Joe Louis

The Brown Bomber was a guest at Frank's night club, where the public address announcer introduced him to the crowd. Frank was immediately drawn to Eva the moment he saw her. At one point during the evening at the club Eva and Frank met. Nothing more was mentioned about what happened to Joe Louis. Wilt Chamberlain was observed in front of Frank's night club later in the movie when some of Richie Robbin's men were staking it out.

Answer: Giving away turkeys at Thanksgiving

At the beginning of the movie we see Bumpy tossing turkeys to a crowd from the back of a truck as Frank looked on in the background. Later in the movie the same scenes were played out, but it was Frank standing in the truck tossing the turkeys that time.

Answer: made them work naked

When Frank took his brothers to see his operation, they walked into a large apartment where lots of naked women were packaging the heroin. The wide eyed brothers were surprised at what they saw. Frank was asked why they were all naked, and he said it was to keep them from stealing.

Answer: falsify a police report

Richie was told over the phone that his partner was made by some low level drug dealer, and he had to kill him. Richie arrived at the project apartment, and there was an angry mob who had gathered after hearing the gun shot. Richie helped to get his partner, two EMTs, and himself away from the mob. Richie quickly deduced that his partner had tried to rob this drug dealer, and even went so far as to accuse his partner of being a junkie. His partner was certain that if Richie wrote the police report like he wanted, then there would be no problems. Richie was very upset about being an "accessory after the fact", and refused to cooperate with his partner.

Answer: His cousin-in-law

Two friends of Frank returned from Vietnam, and told Frank about his cousin serving over there. They told Frank that in addition to serving in the military, his cousin also ran a club in Southeast Asia, in Bangkok. It was through the cousin that Frank eventually got back into the jungle and made a direct deal with the man who manufactured the drugs.

Answer: The Special Narcotics Bureau

His supervisor, Lou, offered Richie a chance to join the Special Narcotics Bureau that was going to work under the US Attorney's office. Richie got to pick his own team to work with him. He did not have to answer to any local jurisdiction. Richie and his team went after the suppliers, and left the street level guys for the local police to bother with.

Answer: A cabin at a Colorado Ski Resort

The offer was subtle, yet not. The friend was showing Richie a picture of his cabin in Colorado, and then so slightly uttered to Richie, "It's your place.", and then implored Richie to leave Frank Lucas alone. Richie then left his friend's after refusing the deal.

Answer: posed as a photographer at the fight

As his team was watching the pre-fight stuff on the TV at their office, Richie decided to grab a camera and head down to Madison Square Garden. He took lots of pictures of some of the known crime bosses who were in attendance. However, it was at this fight that Richie took the very first picture of Frank Lucas (up until then, Frank was a nobody to the cops). Frank had very good seats in the second row - better seats than the other crime bosses, and he sat next to Joe Louis.

Answer: In the cases carrying the dead soldiers

Despite tracking and searching the military plane that they were tipped off about, Richie and his men could not find the drugs. They decided to follow the vehicles taking the dead bodies away. After the bodies were transferred out of the metal cases used during flight, it was then Frank's crew came in and removed the drugs stored inside the cases. Richie's team witnessed the men transferring bags of what they believed were the drugs into delivery vans.

Answer: a bedroom vanity

Frank purchased a large home for he and his mother. In one scene Frank brought his mother into a room and showed her a custom bedroom vanity. He told her he had it made from memory. She was surprised he remembered it so well because she recalled Frank being very young when the original was taken away.

Answer: so he could be dishonest about everything else

It was in the very last court appearance for custody that Richie's ex-wife went off on him after he asked her not to hurt him by taking his son away. She went on about his womanizing, being an absent father, and how he thought he was better than everybody else because he was an honest cop. She vehemently disagreed, and implied to him that the reason he did not take money was so that he could be dishonest about everything else in his life.

Answer: At a church

As the NYPD served warrants for the arrest of all of Frank's brothers and associates, Frank was in church with his mother. As they exited the church, Richie was standing at the bottom of the steps with a pair of handcuffs, waiting.

Answer: Who can afford to sell stuff twice as good for half the price?

One team member posed as a buyer to purchase some Blue Magic. As Richie and the team examined it, they were amazed at how pure it was compared to the other heroin on the streets (twice as pure, as one cop claimed). By the time most heroin reached the street, it was cut up and other chemicals were added to it. The most amazing thing for Richie's guys was the cheap price they paid for it. It begged the question from Richie, "Who can afford to sell stuff twice as good for half the price?"

Answer: The NYPD

Frank actually did business with Nickey Barnes. Richie Roberts hinted to Frank that Dominic Cattano was willing to testify against Frank. For much of the movie the police were taking lots of money from the drug dealers in exchange for looking the other way. Once Frank realized he was out of options, he decided that for his cooperation with authorities he was going to do cops. The cops that took money out of his pocket. Frank's cooperation led to the arrest of over 100 police officers.