At some point in the near future, we’re going to see the “Freeway” Ricky Ross biopic, Crack In The System immortalized on film. This isn’t the pear-loving, Wing Stop-owning, rapper from Miami, but the man who Oliver North should be thanking every moment of his free, waking life.
While The Real Rick Ross no longer glamorizes the amount of powder he helped move, the story kind of speaks for itself. How will Ross the biopic stack up against these 12 real gangsters portrayed on screen? Hit the jump and see how their crimes were adapted for our entertainment.
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Photo: Vice screen capture
Stanley “Tookie” Williams
The term OG was meant for people like Crip gang co-found Stanley “Tookie” Williams. After being convicted of five murders, Williams became an anti-gang violence advocate. He was nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. Ultimately, he became the twelfth man put to death by California since capital punishment was reinstated in 1992 after a quarter-century hiatus. That’s enough to inspire a movie, which happened with 2004’s Redemption: The Stan “Tookie” Williams Story starring Jamie Foxx.
Larry Hoover
After already being convicted for murder, a 44-year-old Gangster Disciples chairman, Larry Hoover was indicted for conspiring to market illegal drugs while still in prison. Officials believed Hoover controlled both street gang members and the drug trade while publicly campaigning for reform and advocating against gang violence. The Larry Hoover Story: The Unsanctioned Version is the closest to a real movie, but it’s hard not to believe a newer version isn’t currently being made.
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Big Meech and BMF
BMF: The Rise and Fall of a Hip-Hop Drug Empire is more documentary than fictionalized drama, but it focuses on another one of Rick Ross’ favorites. Last year, Deadline reported a fiction film was already in the works about what authorities suspect was as $270 million empire built by Demetrius and Terry Flenory’s Black Mafia Family.
Alpo Martinez, Rich Porter, and Azie Faison
Alpo, Porter and Faison allegedly ran the Harlem drug scene in the ‘80s, which made the subject of rhymes by Nas, Jay Z, and others. Most know Martinez killed Porter, and Faison disavowed to dope game to work in youth outreach. Faison co-wrote the crime/drama Paid In Full, which features Cam’ron, Wood Harris, and Mekhi Phifer playing fictionalized versions of himself, Martinez, and Porter.
Duane O. Gittings
When LL Cool J starred in 1999’s In Too Deep, it was a case of art imitating life, as his Dwayne “God” Gittens character was based on Boston crime lord Duane O. Gittings. The nickname of “God,” which the real Gittings really used came from him flipping his initials D.O.G. backwards. No word on if that grizzly pool cue scene was based on real-life events.
Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson
The legend of Bumpy Johnson seems to overshadow the real narrative, which might be terrifying if you really think about it. While Johnson had convictions for larceny, burglary, and drug trafficking, he gained a reputation for running the numbers racket in Harlem, being a benevolent gangster, and busting a head or two if needed. Laurence Fishburne portrayed Johnson in both Hoodlum and The Cotton Club, and Clarence Williams played him in III American Gangster.
Frank Lucas
Aside from inspiring a top-notch performance from Denzel Washington in American Gangster, the real Frank Lucas served 15 years for various counts of narcotics trafficking. He allegedly ran the Harlem drug trade from Uptown to Thailand controlling the supply of “Blue Magic” and occasionally getting violent with those who threatened the money train. Lucas was brazen enough to try and buy another kilo in 1984, which earned him another seven-year, government-sponsored vacation.
Al Capone
You can probably make a separate list of all the actors who portrayed Al Capone. Despite his legendary gangster reputation, the list of crimes he was actually charged with is rather pedestrian rundown of carrying concealed weapons, contempt of court, tax evasion, and prohibition. Stephen Graham, Ben Gazzara, and Joe Lo Truglio have portrayed Capone among others.
Enoch L. “Nucky” Johnson
Technically Nucky was a politician, not a gangster. But once a government official is convicted a time or two, their G-pass is stamped and the line is blurred. Johnson’s convictions for supporting bootlegging, illegal gaming, and prostitution inspired Steve Buscemi’s Boardwalk Empire character Nucky Thompson, and it’s not hard to see why.
James “Whitey” Bulger
While The Departed was a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Internal Affairs, it’s widely suspected that Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello character was based on Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. The Dorchester, Massachusetts native did time for larceny, bank robbery and was in question for 19 murder cases. He evaded the feds for 16 years before being caught in 2011. Johnny Depp will also be playing Bulger in a currently untitled biopic slated for September 2015.
Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero
Lefty and Don “Donny The Jeweler” Brasco (FBI agent Joseph Pistone) were the real-life characters who inspired the 1997 film Donnie Brasco starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Ruggerio was linked to the Bonanno crime family and suspected of putting 30 bodies underground.
John Dillinger
Score another one for Johnny Depp who played famed bank robber John Dillinger in 2009’s Public Enemies. Dillinger was ultimately convicted for killing 10 men, wounding seven others, and staging three jailbreaks during the 1930s.
