Product Details

• Actors: Dennis Farina
• Directors: Ben Burtt
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: June 21, 1994
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 6302426421
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,873 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #12 in

  Video > Documentary > Crime & Conspiracy

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The history of organized crime in America is given a lively treatment in this video narrated by actor Dennis Farina. The focus is on Charles "Lucky" Luciano and his longtime associate Meyer Lansky, who were both tutored by legendary gambler Arnold Rothstein and went on to amass power and riches during the years of Prohibition. Ancillary characters, including Al Capone and Ben "Bugsy" Siegel, are profiled in some depth, and other outlaws of the day, such as John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd, killers who gathered headlines while the real mobsters quietly consolidated their influence, are mentioned in passing. The video is consistently entertaining, though one criticism is that some of the inside knowledge it purports to relate, such as the identities of triggermen in notable New York City hits in the late 1920s, is rooted more in myth than fact. But despite the occasional excess, the narration does mostly stick to the facts as they are known, and the story of how a few uneducated teenagers from the ethnic slums of New York came to control a virtual empire of crime by the 1950s is very well told. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true-crime must see!, May 10, 2008

By	D. Ternbach "film devourer" (Scottsdale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The American Gangster (DVD)

I absolutely loved this documentary!There is so much information in this film that you can watch it time and time again and pick up more tidbits. There are many photos of Bugsy,Capone,Luciano as well as many others.There is plenty of live footage of court-room drama with Virginia Hill and quotes from the most famous mobsters.This is true American history dating back to the arrival of many European immigrants to Ellis Island,NY.Even the back-round music is great.Dennis Farina's narration is captivating and he is one with first-hand knowledge being an ex Chicago cop for 18 years in the 60's and 70's! I was still processing this documentary for days after viewing it.This would be an invaluable addition to any crime history enthusiast!