Frank Lucas It's chaos. Every gorilla for himself.
Most-quoted character in American Gangster (2007): in 23 of its 54 quotes
Most scenes with: Det. Richie Roberts (5), Cattano (2)
Brand names mean something, Nicky. Consumers rely on them to know what they're getting. They know the company isn't going to try to fool them with an inferior product. They buy a Ford, they know they're gonna get a Ford. Not a ****in' Datsun. Blue Magic is a brand name; as much a brand name as Pepsi. I own it. I stand behind it. I guarantee it and people know that even if they don't know me any more than they know the chairman of General Foods.
More lines from Frank Lucas
9 quotes Frank Lucas Frank Lucas The man I worked for ran one of the biggest companies in New York City for almost fifty years. I was with him every day for fifteen of them, looking after him, taking care of things, protecting him, learning from him. Bumpy was rich, but never white man rich. Why? Because he didn't own the company. He thought he did. He didn't. He only managed it. Someone else owned it. So they owned him. Nobody owns me. Because I own my company. And my company sells a product that's better than the competition's at a price that's lower.
Frank Lucas What matters in business is honesty, integrity, hard work, loyalty, and never forgetting where you came from. You are what you are and that's one of two things. You're nothing ... or you're something. Understand what 'm saying?
Frank Lucas That basically the whole picture right there.
Frank Lucas [To Trupo]
'Detective. There are some things you don't do. This is one of them. Not on a man's wedding day.
Frank Lucas I do pay them, I pay them all. Cops, accountants, lawyers, who don't I pay? Everybody. I pay them a fortune, it doesn't matter. It doesn't satisfy them. The more you pay, the more they expect. You can't start with them because they can't stop. It's like dope. They always want more.
Frank Lucas This is my home. My country. Frank Lucas don't run from nobody. This is America.
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.
Frank Lucas The most important thing in business is honesty, integrity, hard work, family, never forgetting where we came from. See, you are what you are in this world, that’s either one of two things: Either you're somebody ... or you’re nobody. I'll be right back
Scenes with Frank Lucas
13 scenes
Chinese General How would you get it into the States?
Frank What do you care?
Chinese General Who do you work for in there?
Frank What do you care?
Chinese General Who are you really?
Frank It says right there. Frank Lucas.
Chinese General I mean, who you represent?
Frank Me.
Frank What is this?
Huey Lucas What? This? These are clothes.
Frank Yeah that.
Huey This is a very, very, very nice suit.
Frank That's a very, very, very nice suit, huh?
Huey Lucas Yeah.
Frank 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.
Banker You got a stockbroker, Frank?
Frank I deal with enough crooks as it is.
How you feel about monopolies?
Frank What, the game?
Monopolies are illegal in this country, Frank, because no one can compete with a monopoly. If they let the dairy farmers do that, half of them would go out of business tomorrow.
Frank 'm just trying to make a living.
Which is your right. Because this is America. But not at the unreasonable expense of others. That's un-American. You know the price you pay for a gallon of milk doesn't represent its true cost of production. It's controlled. Set.
Frank I set a price I think is fair.
It's very unfair, in fact. Your customers are happy, but what about your fellow dairy farmers? You're not thinking of them.
Frank 'm thinking of them as much as they ever thought of me.
Eva Why would you trust these people, the way they look at you?
Frank They look at me like it's Christmas and 'm Santa Claus.
Want to come over here a minute, Frank? [points to the heroin in the trunk of the car] Now what are we gonna do about this?
Frank We're gonna shut the trunk and say good night, forget you pulled us over.
I got a better idea. [Takes out two slabs of heroin] Or would you rather I took it all and threw you and your brother in the ****in' river?
Frank I don't know, would you rather it's your ****in' house blows up next time?
Frank 'm watching the news. Where the hell's everyone going?
Nate Home. The war's over.
Frank Just like that? We're going to leave the ****in' country to the communists?
Nate We been here since 1961, Frank.
Frank I haven't!
Frank I just heard something. I said it couldn't be true. You didn't really turn in a million dollars you found in the trunk of a car, did you? Want me to tell you what happened to it? It ended up in cops' pockets.
Maybe.
Frank Maybe? No. It did. All you did was give it to them for nothing in return. Not nothing: You got their contempt. Why'd you do that? What're you trying to prove, you're better than them? You're not better than them. You are them.
I don't have the time or interest to listen to this-
Frank You did it because it was right. That's all. Why's that hard to say? The question is would you do it again? That was a long time ago. It'd be very easy to find out. Tell me you want to find out, tell me the address, and a car will be there, the trunk loaded.
No, thanks.
Frank Let me ask you something. You think by putting me in jail, you're going to stop even one junkie from dying? Because you won't. If it isn't me, it'll be someone else. With me or without me, nothing's going to change.
Then that's the way it is.
Frank Now, I got no problem with you showin' up in court tomorrow with your head blown in half.
Get in line. That one stretches around the block too.
I want to know everyone you've met for the last twenty years. Everyone you sold to. Every cop you ever paid off. Every one who ever stole from you. Every one you remember.
Frank Oh, I remember them all. That's not the problem.
What is?
Frank The jail's aren't big enough.
Frank I was talking to my lawyers. They said something to me, I can't believe it. Did you really find a million dollars in the trunk of a car and then turn it in? Did you do that?
Yeah.
Frank You did that for real, huh? My man. Good for you. Shit. You know Johnny Law got it though, right?
Maybe.
Frank Ain't no maybe about it, Mr Richie. You know he got it. You turned that money in, he took it and you ain't get nothing for it. Did you? Why did you do that?.
It was the right thing to do.
Frank That's true. That's a good answer. It was the right thing to do. The question I have, the question I've been asking myself is, would you do it again? I mean, that's a lot of money, that's a long time ago. Many car payments ago, many child support payments ago. So I said to myself, the onlyest way to find out is to find out... Now, you give me an address, I'll make sure the car's there, I'll make sure that money's in that trunk.
No, thanks.
Frank Come on, now, Richie. What do you think, that impresses me? You think that you're better than them? You ain't no better than them other cops. In fact, you're the same as them. You are them. Let me ask you this. Do you really think that putting me behind bars is going to change anything on them streets? Them dope fiends is gonna shoot it, they're gonna steal for it, they're gonna die for it. Putting me in or out ain't gonna change one thing.
Then that’s the way it is.
Frank That's just the way it is. So what we got, Richie? We got me and you sitting here. We got that little snitch-ass driver for my brother. You got a little bit of powder. You're going to need more than that, Richie.
I got possession, supply, conspiracy, bribing a law officer. I got people who'll attest to seeing you kill in cold blood. I got your offshore bank accounts, your real estate, your businesses, all bought with money from heroin. And I got hundreds of parents of dead kids. Addicts who OD'ed on your product. And that's my story for the jury. That's how I make it all stick. "This man murdered thousands of people. And he did it from a penthouse, driving a Lincoln." Aside from that, you got nothing to worry about.
Frank (chuckles)
That's pretty good. But that's why we go to court, isn't it, Richie? 'Cause I got witnesses, too. I got celebrities. I got sports figures. I got Harlem, Richie. I took care of Harlem, so Harlem's gonna take care of me. You can believe that.
I got more than that, Frank.
Frank What you got?
I've got a line of people wanting to testify against you, it stretches out the door and around the block. You damaged a lot of lives, Frank. I got the Mazzano crime family. Remember those boys? You put them out of business.
Frank I ain't got nothing to do with no Mazzanos. Mazzanos ain't got nothing to do with me.
They got everything to do with you.
Frank What, they...
You know why?
Frank Why?
Because apart from the fact that they hate you personally, they hate what you represent.
Frank I don't represent nothing but Frank Lucas.
You sure? A black businessman like you? You represent progress. The kind of progress that's going to see them lose a lot of money. With you out of the way, everything can return to normal.
Frank My man. (sips coffee) You know what normal is to me, Richie? I ain't seen normal since I was six years old. Normal is seeing the police ride up to my house dragging my little 12-year-old cousin out, 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 and knock his **** head off. That's what normal is to me. I didn't give a **** about no police then. (knocks his coffee aside) I don't give a **** about no police now. Shit. You know what, you can do whatever you want to do. So, it don't mean nothing to me for you to show up tomorrow morning with your head blown off. Do you understand what I'm saying?
Yeah, Frank. Get in line. That one stretches around the block too.
Frank All right. What do you want to do?
Frank What do you want me to do? Snitch, huh? I know you don't want me to give up no cops. What do you want? You want gangsters? Pick one. Jew gangsters, Mick gangsters, Guineas? They been bleeding Harlem dry since they got off the boat, Richie. I don't give a **** about no crime figures. You can have them.
I'll take them too.
Frank You'll take them, too? (laughs) No, you didn't. You're talking about police. You want police? You want your own kind?
They're not my kind. They're in business with you, Frank. They ain't my kind. They ain't my kind like the Italians are not yours. All right?
Frank Huh. (nods and passes back Richie's coffee to him) What can you promise me, Richie?
I can promise you, you lie about one name- you'll never get out of prison. You lie about one dollar, in one offshore account- you'll never get out of prison. (sips coffee) Now you can be live life rich in jail for the rest of your born days... Or be poor outside for some of them. That's what I can promise you.
Frank I want them cops, Richie. That's what I want, I want them cops that took that money out of my pockets.
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