Limited lead female characters is an understatement with regard to this movie. The only part of the movie where there were a lot of females was during the scene where women were stuffing small packages of heroine. Traditionally the women have to be naked since there is the possibility they might steal some, but seriously, black nude females? Goodness knows we never see enough black women poorly represented in the media.

The female characters of this film were rendered powerless. The one incident where Eve (Lymari Nadal) spoke up against a man, she was immediately slapped in the face. She cowered with fear and was not able to defend herself. Mama Lucas (Ruby Dee), the mother of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), never asked her son how he had enough money to afford to buy her a house clear out of the blue. She was portrayed as being completely naive throughout the film. Towards the end of the movie she confronted her son about his gangster activities. After he lied to her she slapped him in the face for it. She said that she did not like to be lied to. The wife and mother of this film were both written as mentally and physically powerless in the face of male goals. What was the message of the movie? If a woman was in the way of what a man wants, then who is she to stand in a his way?

Laurie Roberts (Carla Gugino) was portrayed as a bitter woman who had enough of her husband's cheating, lies, and inattentiveness to their son. Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) was written as a deadbeat Dad with good intentions. Hollywood consistently portrays men as insensitive and expected to do one thing and one thing only... financially provide for the family. It is as if men are written in movies as a combination of breadwinners, female conquerers, and competitive masterminds. Women are usually portrayed as the sexual partners of the male protagonists and mothers. Laurie Roberts was rightfully upset at her husband for him not being there for their son, but she was angry at him for not financially providing for her. At what point are characters like the ones in this movie able to be someone other than what Hollywood stereotypes them to be?

The one highlight of this movie that almost deserves honorable mention is the fact that the romance between Frank Lucas and Eva was, for the most part, not a dominating one. The egalitarianism of the movie ended when Frank Lucas when Eva was on the floor aiding the butler cleanup of blood on "his" Alpaca rug. The sincerity that Frank Lucas had given to her went down the tube at that point. Left and right he continued to put her "in her place".

How could this film be feminist friendly and still maintain it’s pop appeal?

1. Do not limit character roles by maintaining gender roles. Who is to say that a person won't buy a ticket because traditional gender roles are challenged?

2. Images of black women portrayed as jezebels continue the racist objectification of black women. Stop reducing a woman's role to eye candy.

3. Is it possible to have a powerful female gangster in the presence of male gangsters? Write a movie about female gangsters who lead gangs in America. Surely at least one female gang existed in America.