Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, February 10: FREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM
Marc Levin’s profile of the man who found himself in the center of America’s crack epidemic had its world premiere at Los Angeles’ Pan African Film Festival this past weekend. It will be broadcast in two parts on Al Jazeera America next month.
Levin’s wide-ranging chronicle explores the rise of crack cocaine in the 1980s, focusing on the experiences of “Freeway” Rick Ross, a former tennis hopeful whose illiteracy cost him his college athlete dreams, and ultimately led him to drug dealing. Working with Ross’ full cooperation, Levin reveals how Ross quickly built himself up from low-level street dealer to a multi-millionaire drug kingpin, and in the process became part of the infamous Iran-Contra affair that implicated President Ronald Reagan and senior administration officials in an illegal drug money for arms sales scheme. This larger aspect of Ross’ background remains the most intriguing, weaving in the story of San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Webb as well as that of state and federal law enforcement corruption, though the film’s protagonist at times gets lost in the mix. Eventually imprisoned for his crimes, Ross learned to read behind bars, with his time poring over law books ultimately leading to an unexpected reprieve. The film follows him as a free man, acknowledging his complicity in spreading the scourge of crack to the African American community across the nation, and sharing his cautionary tales with prisoners and at-risk youth. While his reformation seems genuine, there is a matter-of-fact braggadocio around his past gangsta accomplishments that can be off-putting, as is the awkward and unconvincing parallel thread that sees “Freeway” seek outrageous financial damages from the rapper “Rick Ross,” who the former drug lord claims stole his name, persona, and exploits for street cred and financial gain.
Note: Director Marc Levin will be present for a post-screening Q&A.
what (not) to doc 