Gangster movies tend to do well at the box office -- from James Cagney in The Public Enemy to Denzel Washington in American Gangster. Guests and callers weigh in on what is it about gangster allure that movie watchers find so enjoyable.

Guests:

John McCarty, author, Bullets over Hollywood: The American Gangster Picture from the Silents to The Sopranos

Murray Horwitz, director and COO of the American Film Institute Silver Theater and Cultural Center

P. Frank Williams, producer of BET's series American Gangster

Michael Eric Dyson, professor at Georgetown University and author, Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop

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