‘Mr. Untouchable’ emerges from the shadows

This is a good time to be an O.G., an original gangster. The Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe-starring epic about the career of 1970s Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, “American Gangster,” is set to open next week, and the new documentary “Mr. Untouchable” offers a look at Lucas’ main rival, Nicky Barnes, known to some as “the black Godfather.”

Certainly, there is no love lost between these men, either on screen or off. Barnes, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., comes off as a bit of a showboat in “American Gangster,” and the Barnes film refers contemptuously to Lucas as “country boy.”

As directed by Marc Levin, (“Slam,” TV’s “Street Time”), “Mr. Untouchable” is a slick package all around. Adroitly edited, filled with fine music like Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman” and more people flashing needles than at a garment worker’s convention, this film is less a dispassionate examination than a celebratory infomercial on its central character.

That would be Barnes himself, talking for the first time since he was released in 1998 (after 21 years inside) to a federal witness protection program. To protect his new identity, Barnes is photographed in heavy shadows, but his hands, under no such restrictions, are free to do flamboyant things like cut drugs, count big money and play with bullets.

At age 74, Barnes is still cocky and full of himself. He brags about everything from his sexual exploits to his driving skills, and still has time to wax rhapsodic about the virtues of a relationship style he calls “thug love.”

It’s not just Barnes; every person interviewed in “Mr. Untouchable” -- including cops, junkies, dealers, snitches, journalists, lawyers, prosecutors and one ex-wife -- is engaged in bragging big-time about the bad old days. Even if it were all true -- and it’s impossible to tell what is and what isn’t -- that’s still a lot of hype, self-mythologizing and macho posturing to wade through. Though one interviewee insists, “I’m not trying to glorify what he did,” that’s pretty much the way things play out.

Back in the day, Barnes, as numerous photographs testify, was always impeccably dressed and never without imposing bodyguards and beautiful women at his side. A former junkie himself, he decided he wanted to get rich more than he wanted to get high, and the Council, a Mafia-type leadership circle he created, ended up controlling tens of millions of dollars worth of heroin traffic.

Barnes’ downfall began in 1977 when his “Mister Untouchable” nickname, earned via a series of legal victories, appeared on the cover of a New York Times Magazine article about his prowess. That story apparently persuaded then-President Jimmy Carter to ramp up efforts to convict Barnes, who soon enough was behind bars doing life without parole. The reason Barnes is out today is that irritated at how his associates were acting once he was gone, he did so much cooperating with federal authorities that a lighter sentence resulted.

In fact, the most chilling, least boastful glimpse of the film’s title character occurs at the very end of the film, when Mr. Untouchable snaps, “I’d rather be outside than a stand-up guy inside.” So much for the vaunted brotherhood of the streets.

“Mr. Untouchable.” MPAA rating: R for pervasive drug content, strong language, some violent images and brief nudity. Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes. In limited release.