纽约黑帮纪实

Band

Dewey launches a crusade against organized crime and to save the Mafia,the New York kingpin orders a hit on one of his own.With Schultz out of the picture,the Mob is back in business.Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel,Frank Costello and Vito Genovese are living the high life.

Guys like Lucky came up from the bottom,clawed their way up, and wind up being on top,and when they became the boss,it was almost like their "Man of La Mancha" Dream.（拉‧曼恰La Mancha，堂吉诃德的家乡。《堂吉诃德》原著名为《Don Quixote de La Mancha》。）

By 1935,Luciano and his crew had built an empire pulling in the modern-day equivalent of over $100 million a year.

Meyer Lansky is leading the charge,revolutionizing their gambling rackets,turning their low-rent gambling dens into high-class establishments.Lansky saw opportunities where other people saw nothing, and he saw treasurewhere other people saw trash.He was the first guy to take craps（掷骰子）, which was a street game,and put it up on green felt on a table and thereby make it respectable and fancy.

As Lansky is inventing the first modern casinos，Vito Genovese has a heroin racket that's pulling in millions of dollars a year,but he decides to diversify,and begins running high-stakes poker games,luring in unsuspecting wealthy businessmen and fixing the outcome to make sure he always wins.Gambling was the strength of the American Mafia.The reason gambling was appealing to Mob guys was because their life was a gamble,and it was only a reflection of the way they lived.

While business is booming,Bugsy Siegel makes sure the money is collected and that the Mob's authority is understood.And as part of the Mob's hit squad, Murder, lnc.,Siegel carries out orders sent down by the Commission.

Frank Costello keeps the authority at bay.Using his connections with corrupt politicians and law enforcement to ensure the Mob's business runs smoothly.Now that they were running these criminal organizations,very profitable ones,they had to pay off police and politicians to continue thriving,because they didn't want any outside interference.

At the top of the operation is 38-year-old Lucky Luciano.The best way to describe Lucky Luciano was that he was a creative genius,but a criminal creative genius.He knew entrepreneurship.He knew how organizations should function and how to get rid of rivalries and competition.In effect, he was an early equivalent,a criminal equivalent.

The King of New York Underground

The Commission

After taking out the two most powerful Mob bosses in New York,34-year-old Charles "Lucky" Luciano,sets in motion the next phase of his plan:to seize control of the New York Mafia.Over a matter of months,gangsters across the country are murdered in the biggest purge the Mafia has ever seen.

Luciano spares a select few who he feels are more valuable as allies.Luciano calls a meeting with Maranzano's former underboss,Joe Bonanno.

-Killing Maranzano was necessary.

It was either gonna be him or me,and it wasn't gonna be me.

The past is the past.

Joe Bonanno, he was a man of wealth, a man of influence,a man of reason.Luciano decides to offer Bonanno the opportunity to head his own family.With Bonanno on board,Luciano has eliminated his competition,establishing order in his operation.

Maranzano's gone, Masseria's gone,and Luciano is at the top of the hill.

But Luciano decides the most important thing to be done is to create organizations that won't war with each other.They need a regimen, rules.Luciano turns to his homeland for inspiration.

the Sicilian Mafia has always been strictly organized.There are nearly 100 gangs referred to as crime families.Each family has a boss,and they all work under the capo di tutti capi.It's almost like the aristocracy of the underworld.Men who were family heads needed to establish some rules and boundaries and understanding for the continuation of their way of life.It's a system that has worked for over 100 years and is known as Cosa Nostra,which translates to "Our Thing."

To gain the support of the other Mob bosses,Luciano keeps Mafia membership limited to Italians.But Lansky will remain Luciano's most trusted advisor from outside the Mafia's ranks.

Luciano called for a major meeting of the crime bosses in New York and major gangsters elsewhere.Until this time,there really is no Mafia in America.You have individual gangs operating in some kind of ad hoc manner.

-The heads of the five New York families,the members of the Commission, are Giuseppe Profaci,Vincent Mangano,Tommy Gagliano,Joseph Bonanno and Lucky Luciano.

Luciano creates the Commission,a board made up of the heads of the five New York families who will run the Mafia instead of a boss of bosses.In effect, Lucky is writing a constitution for the Mafia.There will be a boss of each family,there will be a second-in-command,an underbossand there will be a consigliere,the counselor.Luciano creates the modern Mafia.

Luciano's motivation was power.He would give a role to all these other guys because he was smart.He knew how to play people.And if you share power the right way,you have the power.

Murder, Inc.

They sort of said,"We're not gonna have these random killingswhere one guy gets pissed off at another guyand he goes off and he just kills him.So, we're gonna do it like they do it in the real world,which is if somebody has a problem with somebody else,he will go to an underworld court,and he will plead his case."They were like the Security Council of the U.N.,and I know that's laughable in many ways,but they used to try to resolve as many of their problems peacefully as possible to stay away from the law.

Disputes would get reported to the Commission,and most of them would get settled.Of course, when they didn't get settled,then a murder might have to take place.

To carry out the Mafia's approved hit list,Luciano knows he will need an enforcement arm with no ties to the Italian Commission.So he looks outside the Five Families to a group of Jewish gangsters.

In 1931, Luciano orders his most trusted business partner to assemble the lethal team.Lansky was like a recruiter at a board meeting for a college.He knew who they were and he recommended them as the guys that could fill this new role that was suddenly created by this underworld court.Lansky quickly enlists an elite group of Jewish hit men.Violent killers who will come to be known as Murder, Inc.It was kind of a sub-company of the new modern Mafia that Luciano designed.

Most of the hit men were Jewish.They integrated, so that threw 'em off.Each hit man has his own signature style.

Bugsy Siegel is a loyal member of Luciano's crew who takes pleasure in making his victims suffer.

Albert Anastasia is a feared killer with a short fuse and deadly aim who becomes known as the Lord High Executioner.

Abe Reles believes in a hands-on approach,earning the nickname "Kid Twist" for his preferred method of killing.Strangling his victims with wire.

Louis Lepke is a disciplined assassin,isolating his targets to avoid witnesses.

These were guys that were the baddest of bad.They were cold-blooded murderers that worked for the Mob.They formed the deadliest team of hit men in American history and transformed the art of killing into a science.

Once a contract is handed down,the assassin spends weeks preparing the execution.Assembling weapons,stealing a getaway car,and trailing his target.When the moment is right, he makes a clean hit and begins covering his tracks.Fingerprints are often burned beyond recognition,and the body is dumped in a river or buried with chemicals to eliminate the smell.

In just ten years,Murder, Inc. Will kill more than 1,000 people,averaging one murder every three days.And because no ties to the assassins are left behind,hundreds of murders remain unsolved for years.

With the Commission in place and Murder, Incon call,Lucky Luciano has created an underground government and an invisible army.Lucky Luciano delegated the violence.He said, "If we all band together,We could do this thing as an organization."So there'd be order.

Dewey:Shultz,then Luciano

Dutch Schultz

Dutch Schultz ran a very powerful gang in New York and the Bronx.In fact, some people used to go around saying,in New York, there was a Big Six,not just a Big Five,because Schultz was so important.

纽约五大市区：

The Bronx

纽约市五大区中最北面的一个，居民主要以非洲和拉丁美洲后裔居民为主，亚洲人较少。

纽约洋基队的主场亦位于此。

Manhattan

纽约市五大区之中人口最稠密的一个，也是最小的一个行政区。

曼哈顿主要由一个岛组成，并被东河、哈得孙河以及哈莱姆河包围。

这里集中了许多著名的企业，被誉为世界的经济中心，是纽约最富有的区。

Brooklyn（原名是荷兰文Breukelen），the south of Long Island

纽约市五大区中人口最多的区。

布鲁克林区一开始只有6个荷兰移民小村庄建在东河边，并有小荷兰的称呼。在1664年成为纽约属地的一部份。1898年正式划入纽约市，成为五大区之一。

Queens（“皇后”得名于查理二世之妻凯瑟琳皇后），the north of Long Island

纽约五区中面积最大、人口第二多的区。

皇后县建立于1683年，为纽约州最初的12县之一。1898年开始在皇后县的基础之上建立了皇后区。

Staten Island

纽约市人口最少的一个区。

Dutch Schultz is known as the Beer Baron of the Bronx.He muscles his way into the restaurant unions and Harlem's number rackets.His numbers operation alone brings in $20 million a year.Schultz is also a vicious gangster with a hair-trigger temper.

Schultz has been building relationships with politicians for years by fixing their elections.Schultz pays off voters and brings them to the polls,so they can vote for his candidates.

-Can I ask your business here?Tampering with elections is illegal.

Schultz is unaware that he's just caught the eye of the one man in New York he can't pay off.A 32-year-old lawyer from Michigan named Thomas E. Dewey.

Thomas E. Dewey

Thomas Dewey is an assistant U.S. Attorney with political aspirations.Tom Dewey had been a poll-watcher at one point and had seen this, and it probably inspired some of his later prosecutions.He'll go on to become the governor of New York and run for president,losing one of the most famous elections in American history.（1948年总统大选中杜威一度被看好，但最终落败于杜鲁门。）

Dewey firmly believes in the rule of law.He also wants to make a name for himself in New York.Tom Dewey went after Lucky Luciano, because he was a major organized crime figure in the United States.He saw this as a stepping stone,a way that he could burnish his resume so that he would be able to run for political office,and ultimately run for the presidency of the United States.

- This is the guy.

- What guy?

-The guy from the polls, Dutch Schultz.

-You don't give up, do you?This isn't personal.Schultz is all over the number rackets,restaurants, the Jersey waterfront.

-Schultz works with Lucky Luciano.Schultz is nothing but a crack.He's our way in.We can't get to Luciano, but we can get to Schultz.

-How much time do you need?

-Give me a month.

-Get busy.

With approval from U.S. Attorney William Dodge,Thomas Dewey is about to declare war on the Mob.

With Mob boss Lucky Luciano insulated by crooked politicians and an army of thugs,Dewey's first target is Jewish gangster Dutch Schultz.

But Schultz has been paying off judges and politicians for years.To bring down Schultz,Dewey is going to have to find a way to prosecute him.And a trial from a year earlier may give him the answer.

Capone under arrest

Al Capone has ruled the violent Chicago underworld for a decade.If you go all the way back to the time of Al Capone, and you read about it,he hung around with politicians and judges and police.He was right in the midst of society at its highest level.He's beaten witnesses,bribed judges,intimidated juries and has ties to over 100 murders,including the savage St. Valentine's Day massacre.

When Capone was finally brought to trial,it wasn't for murder,it was for not paying his taxes.

-I hereby find Mr. Alphonse Capone guilty of tax evasion ,and hereby remand him to the custody of the state for the next 11 years.

Thanks to an ambitious law enforcement agent named Eliot Ness,the most infamous mobster in America will spend the rest of his life in Alcatraz.

Alcatraz恶魔岛

美国加州旧金山湾内的一座小岛，四面峭壁深水，联外交通不易，因而被美国政府选为监狱建地，曾设有恶魔岛联邦监狱，关押过不少知名的重刑犯，于1963年废止。

现与金门大桥同为当地著名观光景点。

Thomas Dewey sees his opportunityand goes after Dutch Schultz on tax evasion charges.

But even though he's a wanted man,Schultz is seen partying at Manhattan bars and nightclubs.Schultz liked to be a big shot around town.

-Get another bottle of vino over here for the ladies.

So he was a man about town as well as a man about gangsterdom.

Schultz's exploits start making headlines.But he manages to stay one step ahead of Thomas Dewey and his investigators.Months pass without an arrest.

-How much overtime it costs.

Dewey's inability to bring Schultz into custody soon turns from a local tabloid story into a national embarrassment,landing on the desk of the director of the F.B.I.,J. Edgar Hoover.

J. Edgar Hoover

Hoover has made his reputation by taking down some of the most notorious criminals in the country.But he's refused to let the F.B.I.investigate organized crime in New York.For most of his reign,Hoover totally ignored the Mafia and claimed it didn't exist.But he had reasons for not tackling the Mafia.

In the 1930s,nearly all of Hoover's agents are clean-cut men from small towns in middle America.They had no idea about the Mafia culture.There was no way they could infiltrate the Mafia.

Hoover may also have another,more personal reason for not going after the New York Mob.J. Edgar Hoover never wanted to take on the Mafia because the mob had a file of him,with pictures of him wearing dresses and garter beltscould have been extorted.That's a theory.

Despite the risks，Hoover can longer let Dutch Schultz make a mockery of law enforcement.For the first time in history,Hoover names a New York gangster Public Enemy Number One.

Get off

After nearly two years of successfully eluding,the most wanted man in America is turning himself in.With Schultz in custody,Thomas Dewey is now closer than ever to clinching his first victory over the New York Mafia.

-In the old days,when a member of a group got into trouble,the group took care of them as far as a lawyer was concerned.They didn't go hungry. They got 'em out on bail.

Days after Schultz surrenders,he easily posts bail.And the Mob's lawyers win a petition to move his trial 400 miles north to Malone, New York.If the Mafia can't buy off the biggest city in America,they'll settle for something smaller.The minute Schultz arrives in Malone,he begins spreading money all over town and hosting parties for local officials.

-Enjoy it! And it's on me.

People often think that the way to succeed in the Mob is to be feared.Certainly that's important.But what's more important is just being charming.

A week before his trial,the Jewish mobster takes his public relations campaign a step further.Schultz would try to ingratiate himself so much that he actually converted to Catholicism.These ambitious, lawless gangsters,they were cunning.They were capable of presenting themselves as men of respect.

Just as Luciano promised,Schultz gets off and is free to get back to business.

Out

But Dewey was a fighter.And he was never going to back down.

Just six weeks after the trial in Malone,Dewey pinned Schultz as the leader of the largest illegal gambling ring in New York,sending over 60 officers on a citywide raid to shut down Schultz's most lucrative racket.With Dewey closing in,Schultz goes into hiding and decides there's only one way out，to kill Thomas Dewey.

-This Dewey is a rabid dog.He's not gonna stop.He's not the first.And he's not gonna be the last.

-Well, what if he is the last, huh?

-What if Thomas Dewey takes down you, Luciano?What if he takes down every damn one of you?Is that a chance you're willing to take?

-We can't just knock guys off every time the law kicks up some dust.

-Since when?

-Since now. Settle down, Schultz.It'll all blow over.

-Oh, not this time. Not this bastard!

-What are you saying? Huh?

-I'm tellin' ya, this son of a bitch Dewey is not gonna rest one day until every one of you is behind bars.

-Maybe Dutch is right.Maybe we should take him out before he causes any more trouble.

-It's gonna wreak havoc on our business.

-Business isn't everything.

-Yes, it is.

-It's not gonna happen.

When the Commission,and especially Luciano,hear about this, they realize Schultz is bad for business.

-You can't kill a prominent prosecutor.You'd bring the whole wrath of the criminal justice system.Why risk it?

After being rejected by the Commission,Dutch Schultz turns to Murder, Inc. Hit man Albert Anastasia.

-I'm gonna take a leak.

After he was tipped off by Albert Anastasia of Schultz's plan to kill Thomas Dewey,Lucky Luciano has ordered a hit on one of his own.

But what Luciano doesn't realize is that by taking out homas Dewey's number one target,he's just put himself on the top of Dewey's most wanted list.

西西里是个神奇的地方，小岛一个却因黑手党全球闻名。而那些从这片土地上移民到美国的新一代美国人更是在20世纪初在纽约创下了黑帮史上最为人知的五大家族。

AMC的这种风格有点纪录片又有点美剧的路线，大概的把LUCK为首的5人街头混混成为纽约最有势力的黑帮到衰落这条线交待清楚了。虽然有点象流水帐，清淡得有点无聊，但也算写实。

二十世纪的美国与现在的天朝有点象，不过是那时的美国司法警察没有天朝这么强势。黑帮自己搞自己的，不搞大了，上新闻一般的警察也是睁一眼闭一眼。而从意大利跟随父母来纽约的LUCKY更是因为家里穷，直接就走上街头和志同道合的兄弟自己闯天下了。白手起家靠的就是胆子和勇气，当然脑子还是多少要有的，迈耶就是他们的军师。不同的是，迈耶还是个犹太人，但是LUCKY并没有因为他的出身就当外人。很多关键的时刻点子都是迈耶出的。这5人组先是想办法混进当地一个较大的黑帮里，先为这个黑帮的二把手卖力。卖力出名后，混了一个位置。然后是禁酒令一出，这个造成黑帮势力大涨的好机遇。5人小组也没闲着。误把自己老板的一车酒给劫了。这下就到考验一个老大的时候了，LUCKY自己挺身出来跑到BOSS面前承认，并请求赎罪的机会。果然，老板看在他的有胆子也有脑子的情况下给了个机会，让他去杀一个对老板有很大危胁的杀手。这事LUCKY也办到了，这事过后，这5人组在黑帮的位置就稳了。

黑社会的小弟，想往上爬，杀人还是少不了。然后就是意大利过来的黑帮和自己的老板争地盘了。黑社会嘛，都是争来争去的。LUCKY也没错过这个机会，把自己的老板给干 了，上位后，突然发现这个意大利过来的家伙想做太上皇。这就有点不对路了，LUCKY所求的是大家互相平等的地位和共同发财的机会，不想出现什么太上皇。这一点和一般的黑帮还真不一样。所以想了以国税局探员的身份把这太上皇给干了。至此，LUCKY联合纽约其他片区的四大家族成立了元老会，约定所有黑帮事情利益纠纷由元老会决定，还成立了秘密的暗杀组织。这个元老会算是开启了黑帮的新时代，不再是你杀我抢，以暴制暴的形式了。因为有了沟通，所以一定程度上黑帮内部的问题能以开会的形式解决就以和平的方式解决。至此，LUCKY才35岁，就达到了个人生涯上的顶峰。然后因为涉足以毒品控制妓院的行当，军师迈耶是有提醒过的，这行当没必要而且干得危险，在人生顶峰上的LUCKY怎么也听不进别人的进言了，一方面是下半身思考，另一方面也是没有什么好担忧了吧。果然是生于忧患死于安乐。而且也因为惹上了另一个较真的男人杜威，LUCKY开始走下坡路了。
 
所以说黑社会再牛，在暗地里牛就好了，光天化日之下，惹上政府，而且还是世上比较正直的政府就没好下场了。与杜威的较量失败后，LUCKY给关大牢了，作为妓院的头目，给关了50年。没办法，这社会还是司法正义的社会。期间碰上二战，LUCKY也尽力帮政府，最后也就不用关了，不过终身不得踏进美国领土。从进了牢房后的LUCKY终于意识到自己被胜利冲昏头脑后的代价有多大了，在意大利老实思考自己的未来。想出了借道古巴走私毒品的生意，再一次，他把几大家族都叫到古巴，分享了这个主意，有钱大家一起赚。才走私没多久，以为可以实现借道古巴重回美国的梦又让另一个政府部门盯上了，药品监督局。这辈子，黑帮都不是问题，让政府盯上就无计可施了。再一次，古巴也不给呆了，可怜的LUCKY重新外放到意大利。折腾了大半辈子，年轻时虽然爬到黑帮高位，但没享受多久，就给关进牢里，然后就是赎罪，流外。最后在意大利把纽约下一代接班人安排好后，就是一个电话让自己以前的伙伴，不让人放心的伙伴进牢房后，LUCKY选择了隐退。

终其一身，黑帮的事可以不讲，但坐牢后在二战期间为政府卖力，成立元老会，有什么事情由家族长商议的和平解决问题方式对黑帮产生了深远的影响。虽然他也是靠杀人上位，但那也是他的无奈之举，当是是如果他不帮老大杀刺客自己就得挂。但无碍这是一位杰出的豪杰。乱世出英雄，如果LUCKY走的是正路，出身是政治世家，也许美国历史又会是另一个样子了。

The Death of Rothstein ，1928

Rothstein is the epitome of sophistication and self-control,but every man has a weakness.And for Rothstein, it's high stakes gambling.

Without a doubt,the Mob will eat away at your personality and at your soul.You have this weight that you're carrying around with you.Now, some guys are able to shed it with alcohol.They shed it with sex. They shed it with drugs.But, eventually, it's gonna wear on you.

Rothstein has been a compulsive gambler,from betting on horses,to being the man believed to have fixed the 1919 world series.But Rothstein's addiction has finally caught up with him.

In September 1928,Arnold Rothstein's luck is starting to run bad.He's been losing at the track.He's been losing at cards.His marriage is also deteriorating badly.

News of the first assassination of a New York kingpin makes headlines across the country.On November 4th, 1928,Arnold Rothstein was gunned down in the streets.And dozens of big name gangsters arrive in New York to attend Rothstein's orthodox Jewish funeral.

Arnold Rothstein taught other people.He was sort of an equal opportunity, uh, mentor thief.He didn't mind helping Italian,or Irish, or Jewish gangsters.So, he had this cloud of appreciation around him that he was such an important guy.

For Luciano,the murder of Arnold Rothstein is a crushing blow.With his trusted adviser gone,He decides to put his plans to take out Joe Masseria on hold.

Al Capone and the Saint Valentine's Day massacre，1929

The Federal Government begins to crack down on gang activity across the country,and for the first time in years,New York City's mobsters are under fire.In the spring of 1929,special Government task forces raid speakeasies and Mob headquarters throughout New York.It's part of a sweeping effort to take down mobsters.Triggered by the actions of a notorious gangster over 800 miles away named Al Capone.

Al Capone is a Brooklyn gangster who fled to Chicago,and Chicago was a much rougher city than New York.And he operated very well in that environment.But, he didn't have the tempering influence of a Meyer Lansky , who could say to Luciano,"This is stupid."He would do things very much out in the public.Very much in the face of law enforcement.But on February 14th, 1929,Capone goes too far,ordering the brutal execution of rival Chicago gangsters.More than 150 shots are fired,in what becomes known as one of the bloodiest days in Mafia history,the Saint Valentine's day massacre.

The Saint Valentine's Day massacre is so incredible,it gets attention.There is more unhappiness in the public that there is this stuff going on.The Mob tried to fly under the radar.And when they got people's attention,it could be very bad for them.

With the Feds sweeping the country,New York Mob boss, Joe Masseria,has to act fast to take the heat off of his operation.He knows he needs to get Capone under control.Knowing Al Capone and Luciano ran in the same New York gangs as teenagers,Masseria is convinced that Luciano is the only one in his organization that can get close enough to Capone.Joe Masseria orders Charles Luciano to take care of Al Capone.

Luciano organizes a top secret Mob conference at the Ritz-Carlton（丽嘉酒店）, in Atlantic city.Owned by the Mob boss of New Jersey,Enoch "Nucky" Johnson.

-Al's gotta give himself up.

-I'm not gonna be a sacrificial lamb.Cause Christ almighty can come down,walk across the water,and ask me to turn myself in,and I'd still say "No."

Lucky Luciano had a variety of ways of winning people over.It might be fear.It might be good business techniques.It might be a willingness to work with other people.He's a threat.He has muscle behind him,and he's willing to put the muscle to work.

-The law, it's not letting up on this one.

-I don't care.

-You better care.It's about the greater good.

-I gotta look out for myself.

-And so do I.

You know, I could help you, Al,but if you don't listen to me, I can't protect you.

We got friends in the D.A.'S office, in Philly.You plead to a minor charge.I look after your business in Chicago,and when you get out, it'll be waiting for you.

In a bold masterstroke,Luciano convinces Capone to take the fall.And with the Mob's connections,Capone is sentenced to just a year in prison.

Luciano was earned a new level of respect from gangsters around the country.Respect to a man like Lucky meant that everybody listened to him.Almost like a director in a play.They listened to him. They trusted him.He was in control.

The Great Depression，1929.10.28

On October 28th, 1929,the U.S. Stock market crashes,losing billions of dollars in just one day.Nine thousand banks fail,and one in four Americans are unemployed.But while most people see the great depression as a time of hopelessness,Luciano sees it as a new opportunity.Together, with Meyer Lansky,he develops a new racket,designed to take advantage of the economic depression.Using the millions they've made from bootlegging,they begin providing loans to businesses on the verge of bankruptcy,at extremely high interest rates.

Just as Prohibition was good for the Mob,the depression was good for the Mob.Banks are going under. People need money.People need to get loans.You just couldn't go to a bank and say,"Could you loan me some money?Uh, my rent is due."You couldn't say, "Loan me some money.I gotta get my kid through college,"because they weren't gonna give you a loan.So, you would go to people that they called "Loan sharks,"and, look, credit cards charge up to 18% interest,and the interest from a loan shark is 20%.So, what's the difference if you borrowed money from Chase Manhattan bank,or borrowed money from the street?

-Thought I might find you here.

-Bugsy, it was just a misunderstanding.

-Misunderstanding?You know, that's okay,because people have misunderstandings all the time.For instance, I don't understand how you think that you can borrow money from me and not pay me back.That's a horrible misunderstanding.

There were the cases where they would break your knees,or they'd break your legs.And, as a result, people learned,they paid off the Mafia.They paid off the Mafia before you pay off a bank.And when they can't, the Mafia would say,"Okay, well, then we're gonna own 10% of your business."While America's in financial ruin,Luciano and his crew are making a fortune.The Mob owns a stake in businesses across New York,and Luciano is earning 20% interest, every week.

Still forced to kick money up to Joe Masseria,Luciano believes the time is finally right to remove the only person standing his way of getting to the top of the New York underworld.

But before Luciano can make his move,a new rival strikes first.

Maranzano and the Castellammarese War,1930

In may of 1930,one of warehouses belonged to Masseria comes under attack.Masseria's empire has been targeted by a ruthless, well-funded sicilian Mob boss named Salvatore Maranzano,who is determined to muscle in on Joe Masseria's territory.The Italian gang headquartered in Brooklyn,known as "The Castellammarese". Maranzano has been sent to New York by Mafia bosses in sicily.

The Mafia's power is being crushed by the rise of a tyrannical young dictator,Benito Mussolini.For the past century,the sicilian Mafia has dominated Italy.Mussolini saw that one of his big problems was the Mafia.That they wouldn't bend to his will.So, he just rounded up what he considered suspected mafiosos and simply imprisoned 'em.And it led to one of the largest exoduses of future Mafia in America.

There's a lotta wise guys compare themselves to soldiers in an army.When the general says,"You guys gotta go hit that hill and kill the enemy,"it's the same as a don in a family saying,"You guys gotta go take these other guys out."You're takin' orders.

An all-out war breaks out,which was known as "The Castellammarese War"（双雄之战）.The Castellammarese War was the first time you had really a brutal war between rival Italian gangs. We had never had that before in New York, or in America.

Nobody was safe on the streets.You had a situation of what they call"Going to the mattresses,"where they had to hole up in safe places.If you went out on the street,you could be mowed down.

one of Joe Masseria's top lieutenants,Charles Luciano,is in the hands of ruthless sicilian boss,Salvatore Maranzano.

Julius Caesar once said,"It's easier to find men who are willing to die than to find those who are willing to endure pain with Patience."

And for eight hours,Luciano is beaten and tortured.Luciano was taken to a remote area in staten island,where he's dumped and left for dead.Against all odds, Luciano somehow survives.Luciano's unlikely recovery earns him a nickname that will last a lifetime."Lucky" Luciano.

To the Top，1931

the Death of Masseria，1931.04.15

Luciano decided that Masseria had to be removed.The time has finally come to kill Joe Masseria.And Luciano sees potential in forging an alliance with the man who just beat him to within an inch of his life.

Luciano has he deal he came for.

-Tomorrow, I want you to call up Masseria,and you set up a meeting in coney island.

Though Masseria is surrounded by bodyguards,Luciano knows that their loyalty can be bought for the right price.That's the part of the chess game.The loyalty that they profess to have is bullshit.They're as loyal as they have to be.And whatever they can get away with,they try to get away with.

Lucky Luciano, he knew what a gargantuan appetite Masseria had.He invited him to his favorite restaurant in Brooklyn.

-Would you excuse me for a second?

While they were having dessert,Lucky had said he had to go to the bathroom,and he left Masseria alone at his table.The man who ruled the New York underworld for ten years,Joe "The Boss" Masseria, is dead.

the Death of Maranzano,1931.09.10

In may of 1931,Salvatore Maranzano calls a meeting of the most powerful gangsters in New York,men like Joe Bonanno, Joe Profaci,and Lucky Luciano, to declare a victory.

-I Will serve as Capo di tutti capi,the boss of bosses.Salud.

Maranzano declares that he's really gonna be supreme.He's doing exactly what Masseria tried to do.This doesn't go down well with Luciano.

Soon after declaring himself "Boss of bosses,"Maranzano becomes convinced that his rivals are plotting to kill him.The reason it was dangerous to be the Godfather was,you're a target.You're not only a target from law enforcement,but your own people wanna get rid of you 'cause they wanna be the boss.

Maranzano starts to wanna kill everybody around him he doesn't trust.Maranzano hires his deadliest assassin,mad dog coll,to begin killing all those he suspects might betray him.And the first man on his list is Lucky Luciano.

-Now that Masseria's out of the way,Maranzano, he's gonna shake things up a bit.

Luciano soon learns from Frank Costello that Maranzano has a contract out to kill Lucky.There's only one thing for him to do.He has to kill Maranzano before Maranzano gets to him.

-He'll be waiting for us. We know that.

-There's gotta be a way to get to Maranzano.

-Yeah, but it's gotta be quick, right, in and out.

-He's got a lotta muscle.They'll take out any thug that gets near the place.

-No, there's gotta be a way.There's gotta be a way to get to him.

-What if we don't send a thug or a hitman?

The IRS has been breathing down everybody's neck, right?

Including Maranzano.

Luciano knows the Federal Government has begun investigating high-level mobsters for tax evasion.And in the past few months,the IRS has been planning to audit Salvatore Maranzano.The FBI does crack down a bit more.

Luciano orchestrates a lethal plan.And he enlists his closest advisor, Meyer Lansky,and his enforcer, Bugsy Siegel,to carry out the operation.

-Lansky was a brilliant operator.

He was able to maneuver between some very violent men and some very vile men.

I'd put Meyer Lansky in charge of anything.He could've run the Pentagon.

On September 10th, 1931,with Bugsy Siegel and his men disguised as IRS agents,Luciano orders the hit on the boss of bosses.

In less than five months,Lucky Luciano has taken out the two biggest Mob bosses of the New York Mafiaand now can take his place as the king of New York.

《纽约黑帮纪实》第一季，共8集，这是一部半纪录片—半剧情片（Docu—drama）模式的剧集。旁白：雷·利奥塔

本剧集属黑帮题材，源于对美国黑帮历史的兴趣，和平淡的历史不一样，黑帮历史中有犯罪，有侦探，有悬疑，有惊悚，有暗杀，还涉及政治和商业等，这就让黑帮历史更好看。如果用更通俗的说法，这还是一部男人的奋斗史，一场美妙的美国梦和一个励志故事。

许多的美国电影都有一个共同点，就是美国梦（American Dream）。以美国梦为内容核心的电影一般会更受大众欢迎，也更容易获得奥斯卡的青睐，譬如1994年由汤姆·汉克斯（Tom Hanks）饰演的《阿甘正传》（Forrest Gump），再如2009年的《贫民窟的百万富翁》（Slumdog Millionnaire）。在这部剧集当中，很多地方渗透着黑帮大佬们的美国梦，不知道是编剧有意为之还是历史上真是这样的。

查尔斯·卢西亚诺（Charles 'Lucky' Luciano）二十世纪初同家人随着移民潮从意大利西西里岛移民美国。

这是他们集体的美国梦，就好比1620年乘“五月花号”来到美国的英国人，他们想来开垦这片新大陆创造用之不尽的财富，对于西西里岛的移民来说，他们需要的只是生存。

查尔斯·卢西亚诺后来走上了犯罪道路，他结识的那些黑道之友同样是来自欧洲各个地方，比如西西里岛和爱尔兰，他们从街头小混混蜕变崛起成为一代黑帮大佬，这在美国梦的概念中同样是传奇。后来，卢西亚诺身陷囹圄被判50年监禁，由于黑帮力量在政府和警察中的渗透和斡旋，在狱中呆了十多年的卢西亚诺被释放（剧中和真实历史有出入），条件是他不能继续留在美国，美国政府将他遣返意大利。

此时是1946年，二战的硝烟刚刚消散，年近半百的卢西亚诺十多年没和好友们聚过便要离开。卢西亚诺对意大利——自己的家乡（西西里岛）的记忆停留在1906年，那时刚满8岁的他便随父母远走异乡，四十年弹指一挥间，卢西亚诺心中的怅惘必然是百感交集，而这次遣返，更像是放逐。

西西里岛

从此之后，卢西亚诺要在意大利遥控这个远在美国的庞大黑帮帝国，由于他的忠实拍档梅耶·兰斯基（Meyer Lansky）在古巴首都哈瓦那拓展美国黑帮事业，卢西亚诺似乎找到了回到美国的新方式，那就是以古巴为跳板。

卢西亚诺来到哈瓦那，于是有了美国黑帮史上著名的“哈瓦那黑帮会议”，当时由于古巴国内形势动荡，卢西亚诺黑帮帝国在古巴的生意尽失，美国政府趁机让古巴政府把卢西亚诺遣送回意大利，而这次遣返竟然使他再没回到美国，1962年1月26日，卢西安诺在那不勒斯国际机场死于心脏病发作。他去世后，他的灵柩被带回美国，死后被埋葬在纽约皇后区的圣约翰墓地。

如果按照美国梦的定义，这位黑帮大佬沾满血腥的一生，同样在追逐美国梦的追求，只是他的美国梦可能和主流的美国梦不太一样。

这部剧集塑造的传奇大佬当然不止卢西亚诺一人，其他如：在剧中以智囊和军师形象示人的梅耶·兰斯基（Meyer Lansky），他在卢西亚诺黑帮帝国里扮演的是“管家”式的角色；

性格更温和气质更儒雅的弗兰克·科斯特洛（Frank Costello），卢西亚诺在狱中时他为黑帮的代理老大，也是黑帮委员会中的领头羊；

贪图享乐毫无计谋的维多·吉诺维斯（Vito Gennovose），他在科斯特洛之前被任命为代理老大，但他的高调行事让黑榜受到了政府的“特别关注”，又经常把事情搞砸让帮内利益受损。由于受到政府通缉他逃亡到意大利，时值意大利法西斯墨索里尼执政，他又支持墨索里尼并贩毒，后来西西里岛遭到了盟军的轰炸，他又被抓回纽约接受审判，后来的维多·吉诺维斯在黑帮中与卡洛·甘比诺（Carol Ganbino）联合夺权，后来又因高调聚会被捕；

这些人中与电影有关的就是毕斯·西里尔（Bugsy Siegel），是他带领着美国黑帮渗透到好莱坞电影工业，美国著名的赌城拉斯维加斯便是从这位大佬的火烈鸟计划开始的，后来这个曾在好莱坞叱咤风云的黑帮大佬被杀，但这并没有终结好莱坞被黑帮统治的历史。

卢西亚诺和其他着四位大佬，便是从街头混混一步一步走来的，他们身上有着共同的对美国梦意义的诠释。

除上述这几位在剧集中被着力塑造的黑帮大佬，还有和卢西亚诺一样具有传奇色彩的黑帮大佬阿尔·卡彭（Al Capone），人称“地下芝加哥市长”，这是历史上真实存在的。这位大佬一生不过半百，却有着传奇一生，很多黑帮题材的影视作品都以他为原型，包括有名的《疤面煞星》（Scarface）和《铁面无私》（The Untouchables）。

阿尔·卡彭是个矮子，但这不会让他的形象大打折扣，他通常以有统治力，有决策力，周济贫民的好形象示人，所以他也常被认为是美国梦的象征。

历史上的阿尔·卡彭

其他如乔·马塞里亚（Joe Masseria）和塞尔瓦托·马兰扎诺（Salratore Maranzano），都是卢西亚诺及其同伴早期跟随的黑帮大佬，但他们都相继被卢西亚诺取代。

在这个过程中值得一提的是阿诺德·罗斯坦（Arnold Rothstein），这个走私犯以聪明才智而出名，经常操纵赌马和赌博，更著名的是操纵了1919年世界棒球大赛，这就是后来广为人知的“黑袜事件”（Black sox scandal），后来禁酒令颁布，罗斯坦又嗅到了金钱的铜臭，于是他将贩卖私酒却伪装成正经生意，因此在纽约获得了巨大的声望。

卢西亚诺结识罗斯坦是因为梅耶·兰斯基，可以这么说，罗斯坦的经营理念以及圆滑老到的处世方式都深刻影响了后来的卢西亚诺，说罗斯坦是卢西亚诺的“精神导师”应该一点不为过。

卢西亚诺身在黑帮，无时无刻不是在危险中度过的，黑帮作为犯罪组织，大的有火并战争，小的有拔枪对峙，稍有争执便可能拳脚相向最后血流成河，后来弗兰克·科斯特洛（Frank Costello）作为代理的黑帮老大，同样压力巨大，他曾私下里请心理医生来为自己看病，这件事还被其他黑帮成员所不齿，可见黑帮大佬时常是在巨大的心理压力下度过的。

卢西亚诺真正坐上老大的位置是在铲除了塞尔瓦托·马兰扎诺（Salratore Maranzano）之后，当时卢西亚诺派人在马塞里亚在厕所撒尿时刺杀了马塞里亚。马兰扎诺即在几个大佬面前自称“黑帮教皇”，宣称要统治美国黑帮。这当然引起了卢西亚诺的不满，他气愤离去，随即密谋刺杀了马兰扎诺。在一步一步往黑帮顶层攀爬的过程中，卢西亚诺累积了很多人脉，很多帮派都支持他。

这也从民意上促成了1931年的美国黑手党委员会的成立，委员会由五大家族的首领组成，卢西亚诺是其中的最高决策者，委员会取代了原有的黑手党的统治权，各个犯罪家族之间通过协商来解决家族间的战争和内部冲突，以避免类似“情人节大屠杀”的恶性事件再次发生，还用以协调五大家族的生意，这样委员会实际上控制了全美黑手党的内部活动。

在《纽约黑帮纪实》第一季当中，卢西亚诺在大会上这样说到：

“The blood on the streets must stop，and the cycles of revenge must end. We may be criminals，but that doesn't we're savages. We have to run our business like a business，to begin，we'll start organizing our families like we did in Sicily，with the capos，the crews，the consiglieres，all reporting to the head of the family，but there will be no more boss of bosses，the days of the capo di tutti capi，they're over. Instead we'll have a board of directors，a Commission run by the heads of the five New York families. They will have the final say in all matters，even life and death”。

街道上的血腥杀戮必须终止，复仇的循环也必须终止。我们也许是罪犯，但那不意味着我们是野蛮人。我们要将生意经营得正正经经，有声有色，首先，我们要像之前在西西里那样组建自己的家族，家族中有头目、手下、参谋，这些人全都听命于家族首领，但首领之上不再有黑帮教皇，听命于黑帮教皇的日子，已经结束了。取而代之的是各个首领组成的委员会，一个由纽约五大家族首领经营的委员会。他们对所有事务都有最终决定权，甚至是决定生死。

黑手党委员会成立初期以五大家族为核心，实际上有七大家族，除剧集中叙述的五大家族外，另外两家是阿尔·卡彭领衔的芝加哥犯罪集团和斯特凡诺·马加迪诺领导下的布法罗犯罪家族，后来1957年又新增两个家族，费城犯罪家族和底特律合伙企业，不管是家族如何增加，纽约五大家族仍是委员会的核心成员。

类似于很多党派的机构，卢西亚诺领导下的黑手党也有类似的纪律委员会，但这严格说来不是纪律委员会，而是暗杀小分队，由帮派内部的犹太杀手组成，之所以不用意大利人充当杀手是为避嫌，暗杀小分队严格执行黑手党委员会的命令，暗杀委员会开出的名单上的人。

卢西亚诺的黑帮帝国建立起来，一切犯罪活动都在黑手党的的掌控下有序地运行着。他的黑帮帝国在很多犯罪领域均有染指，唯一还没涉足的便是娼妓业。他在夜总会收获了爱情，白天他陪着女朋友，夜晚便出入于各种妓院，他之所以要在娼妓业分一杯羹，是因为他发现了娼妓业中蕴藏的巨大利益。卢西亚诺涉足娼妓业，最终给他带来50年监禁也是因为娼妓，这倒不是因为卢西亚诺经营妓院被抓，而是后来在法庭审判时妓女出庭作证。

卢西亚诺的黑帮帝国实际上在很早以前就引起了美国政府的注意，只是因为美国政府一直没有掌握足够给卢西亚诺定罪的证据。

历史上的汤姆·杜威

讲到这里，就不得不说起卢西亚诺一生的“克星”汤姆·杜威（Tom Dewey），之所以把“克星”的称号送给他，是因为他让卢西亚诺入狱监禁长达10年之久，让卢西亚诺最终被遣送意大利，之后再没有回到美国。汤姆·杜威时任纽约州的检察官，他有着很强的政治竞争心态，他在1944年曾经参加大选，但最后败给了罗斯福。杜威最初想打击纽约的黑帮组织，用意不外乎竞选纽约州长，最后再竞争美国总统，这一切应该是他累积政治资本的一部分。

卢西亚诺的伪装的“合法经营”观念来自于罗斯坦，在建立黑帮帝国后同样延伸到各种犯罪生意当中。杜威苦于找不到证据，直到抓到了卢西亚诺帮派中一个叫舒尔兹的小头目，但不幸的是，舒尔兹被卢西亚诺委员会下辖的刺杀小分队刺杀了，杜威当然更加找不到证据了。这时，汤姆·杜威的身边来了一个叫尤妮斯·卡特（Eunice Carter）的黑人女性，这个女人在一次监听卢西亚诺的电话中发现了端倪并及时报告给了杜威。这时卢西亚诺为了避祸早已逃到阿肯色州的温泉市，那里是众多黑帮大佬聚集的地方。杜威追到温泉市，也是造化弄人，竟然在大街上撞见卢西亚诺，杜威因此将卢西亚诺铐上押到了当地警局。

后来，卢西亚诺被杜威提起诉讼，卢西亚诺因此被押送回纽约接受审查，审查当中，杜威用尽各种证据，当然，其中最重要的是妓女作证，最终一群妓女打动了陪审团，卢西亚诺被判50年监禁入狱。

卢西亚诺入狱后，和普通犯人差不多，由于帮派到政府上下打点，卢西亚诺的监狱里一应俱全，他享受着和外面一样的生活，只是没有自由。以上是剧集里对卢西亚诺监狱生活的描写，据说卢西亚诺入狱后，在狱中当起了图书管理员，练得一手好字。他的黑帮生意在他的遥控下仍然风生水起。

但是卢西亚诺身在狱中被剥夺了自由，很多事情他仍然无法亲历，于是他指派了维多·吉诺维斯为代理老大，代行他的一些权力。吉诺维斯成为代理老大后飞扬跋扈，目中无人，使黑帮陷入危险的境地，还把生意搞砸了，最后因为杀人被美国政府通缉，于是他逃亡到意大利，留下了一个烂摊子。当然这个烂摊子，只有安排弗兰克·科斯特洛来打圆场。

现在帮派的生意重回到了卢西亚诺的掌控之中，他决定进一步提升黑帮在海外的影响力，而这个海外，指的就是美国东南距佛罗里达州海岸九十英里的古巴。1937年，卢西亚诺派梅耶·兰斯基到古巴说服新的领导人巴蒂斯塔，巴蒂斯塔在政变后总揽大权，同意黑帮在哈瓦那市区建立新的赌场。除此之外，卢西亚诺还派毕斯·西里尔深入好莱坞并控制工会，领导工人罢工特别是放映员的罢工，并从谈判中获利。

维多逃到意大利，干起了贩毒生意，恰逢二战期间意大利法西斯墨索里尼执政，维多贿赂墨索里尼，支持法西斯，在贩毒生意上得到了很多便利，二战将终时，盟军轰炸了西西里岛，维多的贩毒生意损失殆尽，被盟军抓住遣送回美国接受庭审。

相比维多的和墨索里尼套近乎，还支持意大利法西斯，卢西亚诺却很反对这种不爱国的做法。在狱中，卢西亚诺一直在争取获得释放，一方面他和 FBI 合作，帮助 FBI 抓住路易斯·利普克（Louis Lepke），二是封锁了纽约港口，防止了德国潜艇进入纽约，保护了美国本土安全。

卢西亚诺在建立黑帮帝国时成立了委员会直属的谋杀集团，距卢西亚诺在狱中服刑期间，谋杀集团已经谋杀了1000多人了，而且销毁罪证，一度让美国政府难以抓住把柄。谋杀集团一成员莱利斯因为冲动，杀死敌对黑帮成员未销毁罪证被捕，他用供出黑帮成员的方式换取自己处于，其中供出了纽约黑帮中一个成员路易斯·利普克（Louis Lepke），他是富商，而且有黑帮庇护，他逃往世界各地，利普克得了心理疾病到处杀人，警察难以将其擒获，最后，卢西亚诺期望以此获取自由，便以牺牲利普克为代价，利普克被送上了断头台。此时，汤姆·杜威竞选纽约州长成功。

二战将终，卢西亚诺写信请求释放，在军方压力下，杜威不得不签署释放命令。但杜威害怕这会成为他竞选总统的污点，最后他以遣送卢西亚诺回意大利为条件释放了卢西亚诺。杜威1944年竞选总统，败给了罗斯福。

虽然远在意大利，但卢西亚诺终归是获得了自由，但自由的代价就是不能回到美国。卢西亚诺以企图以古巴为跳板回到美国，卢西亚诺来到古巴并经营着贩毒生意。适逢维多出狱，维多发现自己已经被帮派除名，他把卢西亚诺的行踪透露给美国政府，美国政府发现卢西亚诺在古巴贩毒，一面施压古巴政府，其时古巴政局动荡，卢西亚诺被古巴政府遣送回意大利。

维多纠合五大家族中甘比诺家族中的二把手卡洛·甘比诺在黑手党中夺权，其间，维多派人刺杀弗兰克未果，弗兰克后隐退。维多掌权后高调庆祝被抓，从此在牢中度过，后来病死。远在加州的西里尔因为在拉斯维加斯建立赌城的火烈鸟计划失败，后来被杀。梅耶·兰斯基后来隐居，直至患肺癌病逝。卢西亚诺从1944年出狱后就没再回到美国，直到在西西里岛病逝，遗体被送回美国。

至此，一群传奇的黑帮大佬相继离开人世，人去楼空大厦将倾，卢西亚诺的黑帮帝国早已经不复当年的辉煌。反观卢西亚诺等人的一生，他们作恶多端，双手沾满鲜血，不断地从各处吸取来源肮脏的金钱，不断为庞大的黑帮帝国添砖加瓦，还将黑帮势力深入美国政治和好莱坞等等方方面面的领域进行操控和疯狂敛财，他们给社会带来的危害不能说不大。或许在美国和在其他国家，在自由民主的定义不同，美国黑帮组织在美国社会中存在时间之长，是近代时间中其他任一国家的黑帮组织难移比拟的，这与美国的社会制度不无关系。

关于美国黑帮的起源，似乎与美国梦这个概念有着难移摆脱的关系，究其根本，终究与美国的文化和社会有关。关于美国黑帮的落寞，或许也是因为早已偏离了最初的美国梦，最终，一个人、一群人、一个组织逐渐退出历史舞台。

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