Det. Richie Roberts Pick up the ****in' glass!
2nd most-quoted character in American Gangster (2007): in 22 of its 54 quotes
Most scenes with: Frank Lucas (5), Toback (3), US Attorney (3)
The number one fear of people isn't dying, it's public speaking.
More lines from Det. Richie Roberts
4 quotes Det. Richie Roberts Det. Richie Roberts For a cop the uppermost thing is the arrest. For a prosecutor, the arrest is nothing without the evidence to convict. We don't have any real evidence on anyone on this board, so they're coming down. We're starting over from the street.
Det. Richie Roberts His name is Frank Lucas. Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina. Couple of arrests years ago. Gambling, robbery, unlicensed firearm. For fifteen years he was Bumpy Johnson's collector, bodyguard and driver. He was with him when he died. Five brothers, he's the oldest, lots of cousins, all living here now, spread out around the boroughs and Jersey. The brothers are Eugene Lucas in Brooklyn, Earl Lucas in Newark, Lester Lucas in Queens, Turner Lucas, the Bronx and Teddy Lucas, in Bergen County. Except for the chinchilla coat, which no one can explain, Frank's life seems orderly and legitimate. He gets up early. Five a.m. Has breakfast at a Midtown place, usually alone. Then goes to work. Meeting with his accountant, or lawyer, dropping in on one of the several office buildings he owns. Nights, he usually stays home. When he does go out, it's to a club or dinner - with his new wife - friends, celebrities, sports figures - never O.C. guys. Sundays he takes his mother to church. Then drives out to change the flowers on Bumpy's grave. Every Sunday, no matter what.
Det. Richie Roberts Won't get any informants. Not inside. It's like a Sicilian family. Like he's structured his own family the same way to protect himself. Being with Bumpy long as he was, he would have been around Italians a lot. Enough to learn that much.
Scenes with Det. Richie Roberts
17 scenes
Campizi I swear to God, Richie, I didn't know it was you. I would never slam a door on your hand. Knowingly.
Richie You bit my ****in' hand!
Richie [after finding the money in the back of the car]
This isn't a couple of bucks.
Rivera It's the same thing. In principle.
Richie We're talking about principle?
Rivera Richie, a cop who turns in this kind of money says one thing: He'll turn in cops who take money. We'll be pariahs.
Richie We're **** either way.
Rivera Not if we keep it. Only if we don't. Then we're ****, you're right. But not if we keep it.
Richie Yes, we are.
Rivera Goddamn it, did we ask for this? Did we put a gun to someone's head and say, Give us your money? Cops kill cops they can't trust. We can't turn it in.
Richie Bandage his head.
Paramedic Detective ... he's dead.
Richie I know he's **** dead. Bandage his head, clean him up, put him on a gurney and prop it up so he's sitting. And open his eyes.
Tobuck
Richie, a detective who doesn't have the cooperation of his fellow detectives can't be effective.
Richie You know why I don't have it.
Doesn't matter.
Richie No, they're all on the take and 'm not and it doesn't matter to anyone. Instead of giving you a medal for turning in money, they bury you.
Richie You going to the fight?
Spearman I don't like boxing.
Richie It's not about boxing, it's about politics.
Richie What the **** is a microwave?
Tony
It's a scientific force like atomic energy. It rearranges the molecules.
Richie Of what?
Tony
Of anything. Of popcorn. You don't want to put your head in there.
What's this? Don't tell me you're actually gonna arrest Frank Lucas, are you?
Richie What? Haven't you heard? We're all **** 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.
Richie INS, FBI, IRS - I can't get anything out of them. Nothing on his travel, his bank accounts, property holdings - nothing.
That's because they all think you're on the take and you think they are.
Richie They don't want this to stop. It employs too many people. Cops, lawyers, judges, probation officers, prison guards. The day dope stops coming into this country, a hundred thousand people lose their jobs.
Richie The warrant permits me to search the plane and its cargo.
[Soldiers aim their rifles at Richie] )
Captain
But you don't have my permission.
Richie I don't need it.
That was a military transport plane. If there was heroin on board then someone in the military would have to be involved. Which means that even as it fights a war that's claimed 50,000 Americans lives, the military is smuggling narcotics. That's how these events are being interpreted by General Easton in that call to me. That someone employed by the this office believes the United States Army is in the drug trafficking business - and is trying to prove it by desecrating the remains of young men who've given their lives in the defense of democracy.
Richie There are drugs on that plane-
Shut the **** up.
Is it any wonder then, because of your actions, the entire federal narcotics program is now in jeopardy of being dismantled as completely and enthusiastically as that **** transport plane? That's what you've accomplished Mr. Roberts. Single-handedly.
Richie I had good information the target of my investigation was bringing dope in on that plane.
And that target is?
Richie Frank Lucas.
Who? Who's Frank Lucas? Who's he work for? Which family?
Richie He's not Italian. He's black.
Is that supposed to be some kind of joke? You're this close to the end of your career in law enforcement, you're making jokes?
Richie I believe Frank Lucas is above the mafia in the dope business. I believe he buys direct from the source in Southeast Asia, cuts out all the middlemen, and uses US military planes and personnel to bring pure No. 4 heroin into United States.
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.
Richie Maybe.
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.
Richie I don't have the time or interest to listen to this-
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.
Richie No, thanks.
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.
Richie Then that's the way it is.
Now, I got no problem with you showin' up in court tomorrow with your head blown in half.
Richie Get in line. That one stretches around the block too.
Richie 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.
Oh, I remember them all. That's not the problem.
Richie What is?
The jail's aren't big enough.
Is it any wonder then, because of your actions, the entire federal narcotics program is now in jeopardy of being dismantled as completely and enthusiastically as that **** transport plane? That’s what you’ve accomplished Mr. Roberts. Single-handedly.
Richie I had good information the target of my investigation was bringing dope in on that plane.
And that target is?
Richie Frank Lucas.
Who?
His name's Frank Lucas.
Who is Frank Lucas? Who does he work for? Which family?
Richie He’s not Italian. He’s black.
Is that supposed to be some kind of joke? You’re this close to the end of your career in law enforcement, you’re making **** jokes?
Richie My investigations indicate that Frank Lucas is above the mafia in the dope business. My investigations also indicate that Frank Lucas buys directly from the source in Southeast Asia, cuts out all the middlemen, and uses US military planes and personnel to transport No. 4 heroin into United States, and he's been doing so on a regular basis since 1969. I have cases against every member of Frank's organization.
Frank's organization? No **** **** has ever accomplished what the American Mafia hasn't in 100 years!
Richie And you would know that how? Why? 'Cause your head is stuck up your **** ass?
Hey, Lou, do me a favor. Will you get this **** **** out of here?
Richie ****?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Richie ****?
Richie, no.
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?
Richie Yeah.
You did that for real, huh? My man. Good for you. Shit. You know Johnny Law got it though, right?
Richie Maybe.
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?.
Richie It was the right thing to do.
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.
Richie No, thanks.
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.
Richie Then that’s the way it is.
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.
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.
(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.
Richie I got more than that, Frank.
What you got?
Richie 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.
I ain't got nothing to do with no Mazzanos. Mazzanos ain't got nothing to do with me.
Richie They got everything to do with you.
What, they...
Richie You know why?
Why?
Richie Because apart from the fact that they hate you personally, they hate what you represent.
I don't represent nothing but Frank Lucas.
Richie 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.
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?
Richie Yeah, Frank. Get in line. That one stretches around the block too.
All right. What do you want to do?
Richie (passes his coffee to Frank)
You know what you got to do.
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.
Richie I'll take them too.
You'll take them, too? (laughs) No, you didn't. You're talking about police. You want police? You want your own kind?
Richie 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?
Huh. (nods and passes back Richie's coffee to him) What can you promise me, Richie?
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.
I want them cops, Richie. That's what I want, I want them cops that took that money out of my pockets.
