Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

There's a little feature film coming out soon. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called AMERICAN GANGSTER, and it's the true-life story of a man named Frank Lucas, who ruled the drug trade in New York City for much of the 1970s. Some newcomer named Denzel is playing the part. The stellar documentary MR. UNTOUCHABLE is essentially a prequel to AMERICAN GANGSTER, telling the life story of Nicky Barnes (played by Cuba Gooding Jr. in GANGSTER), the original Black Godfather, who began the wholesale drug distribution network throughout New York and set the stage for Lucas, who was looked at as something of a punk rival during Barnes's reign.

Featuring interviews with many members of the Barnes inner circle, MR. UNTOUCHABLE (a nickname made famous by a New York Times Magazine cover story that marked the beginning of the end for Barnes) does a remarkable job of detailing the process Barnes took to fill the void of a reliable and relatively inexpensive drug supplier in the city and boroughs. As the first black man to ever do business directly with the Italian Mafia (which sold Barnes's organization the drugs directly), Barnes came from humble origins and slowly built himself a reputation as a man to be feared and respected. Director Marc (THE PROTOCOLS OF ZION) Levin's ultimately achievement here was to get an interview with the still-very-much-alive Barnes, who is now living comfortably in witness protection (he ratted out almost his entire organization for reasons I won't reveal here). We never see what he looks like today, but it's enough to see the cut of his suit jacket, his rings and the Cuban cigar he grips from time to time. He's sending a message even without seeing his face. Much like the recent COCAINE COWBOYS, this film does a terrific job chronicling the glory days of being a drug lord and the rapid decline thanks to a combination of sampling his own product, living such a high-profile life and almost daring law enforcement to come get him.

I'm not going to lie, this is a fun film to watch. You can see the birthplace of what is now the hip-hop lifestyle and image. And for those of you old enough to remember when New York City was just a damn scary place to be in any neighborhood, MR. UNTOUCHABLE may bring you back to those thrilling days of yesteryear. More importantly, the life that Barnes and his crew led explains a lot about why there are no out-in-the-open drug lords in this country like there used to be. The film doesn't neglect to point out Barnes's contradictions, such as how he would frequently be extremely charitable around Harlem with food banks and the like, while pumping a never-ending quantity of poison into the community. Barnes's life is fascinating and one of the prime examples of a biography you couldn't make up if you tried. Director Levin has done a superb job translating the Barnes story to film, managing to both glorify the lifestyle while establishing it as the ultimate cautionary tale.

Capone