User Reviews

For people that have seen HBO's "The Wire", or "American Gangster" you may think you know about Black organized crime. But not until you've seen "Motown Mafia" can you get a full understanding of the twisted version of the American Dream that created men like Frank Lucas, Nicky Barnes -and in Detroit- Eddie Jackson and Courtney Brown. "Motown Mafia" was produced by the son of Courtney Brown, a man once listed as one of the largest black drug traffickers in the U.S. by Federal law enforcement. Along with director Al Profit you really get an inside view of what it was like growing up as the son of, for a short time, one of the wealthiest black men in the country. The Brown family lived in the same subdivision of Motown royalty like Smokey Robinson, meanwhile Brown and his partner Eddie Jackson were bringing in huge shipments of heroin from the Gambino mafia family in New York. When they were indicted in the early 70's they hired Malcolm X's attorney, Milton Henry, who helped them stay out of jail while fighting the case (and selling more and more drugs.) If you like gangster movies or documentaries, documentaries in general, or are interested in African - American History, Motown Mafia is a must see.