The Worst Film Ever

Good start, but then it gets ruined

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The most powerful black drug kingpin in New York City history, Nicky Barnes came from humble beginnings to make himself and his comrades rich beyond their wildest dreams, ultimately reaching national infamy in 1977 when the New York Times put him on the front cover of their magazine.In organized crime, there is a theory called ethnic succession that explains how the Italians took over criminal enterprise from the Irish. For decades there was speculation that the black community would take over from the Italians. For the most part, this has failed to materialize, with black gangs being largely unprofessional and unorganized. Nicky Barnes and his organization is the big exception.Everything I know about Barnes I learned from this documentary, which does a great job of explaining his place in history and how he was targeted by law enforcement. Some interesting points are made. Certainly he deserved to be targeted. But was it a real conspiracy?

This film was very well done. I enjoyed not only the story line, characters and authenticity, but the cinematography was fantastic! If you're looking for a movie experience that will leave you thinking, this is the one. The real life story of drug lord Nicky Barnes is fascinating and truly an eye opener. It takes a look into the city of New York in the 70's from a criminal view point. The acting in this film was top notch & very believable. Great work from many "unknowns". I would recommend this film to all types of movie lovers.

Sitting at the Cinema Village the other night was a mind-blowing experience.There was more to Leroy "Nicky" Barnes: the man, then Cuba Gooding Jr: the actor could have ever portrayed in "American Gangster". Marc Levin has captured the real deal with "Mr. Untouchable", he paints a picture of the drug-infested landscape of the forgotten Harlem in the 1970's.We are reminded of how Harlem was before the War on Drugs was initiated in the Nixon administration.This was a true story of cops and robbers, dealers and kingpins, junkies and victims.Where bodies were dumped in the 1970's-hipsters now guzzle down Pumpkin Spice Lattes at the newest Harlem Starbucks.There will never be another Nicky Barnes.

There's a moment in Marc Levin's ferocious new documentary, Mr Untouchable, when your heart just breaks. Moments after winning game seven of the World Series, a news reporter asked a young African American boy if his hero was the series' MVP, Reggie Jackson. The child responded, no it was Nicky Barnes.Nicky Barnes, who the New York Times nicknamed "Mr Untouchable" in 1977, was New York's most successful heroine kingpin. Levin's documentary chronicles the lavish life of the millionaire, covering his battle against addiction, his rise to power and his ultimate downfall.Filled with love, lust, power and revenge, Barnes story is an epic tale and Levin cuts right to the heart of this monstrous drug lord's true life narrative with a sense of style and pizazz fitting of the supercilious gangster. With a fantastic soundtrack and powerful imagery, Levin makes what could have been a bad episode of cops a fully cinematic experience.Of course it helps to get a hold of the man himself, Nicky Barnes, now under a different alias living under the witness protection program. While all of Barnes cohorts tell fascinating tales about the kingpin, there is something extraordinary about seeing the first photographed imagery of Barnes since his release from prison.Even today, a reformed man, his gigantic ego still overshadows his personality. It is easy to see how Barnes became such a success, his personality is overwhelmingly charming, despite his cut throat reputation and holier than thou attitude.The documentary is incredibly well structured. Early in the film Levin lets you become attached to Nicky Barnes the person. As he makes his turn from junkie to kingpin, you can't help but feel caught up in his success, no matter how dastardly his deeds were. Not only was Barnes the coolest cat in Harlem, he also did good will for the community he was destroying. While he was filling the streets with junkies, he was also handing out turkeys to the poor during Thanksgiving. Hypocritical? Maybe, but it is cinematically effective.Once you're attached to Nicky Barnes, Levin quickly destroys him, showing the dark side of the drug lord and taking away his glitz and glamor piece by piece, until there is literally nothing left of the man that used to be untouchable. Mr. Untouchable is thorough and informative, yet Levin manages to transcend the confines of the genre crafting a documentary that is extremely potent and undeniably entertaining too.-Joe Russo