American Gangster

Year of Release: 2007
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Rating: R for violence, drug content, language, nudity and sexuality.
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Armand Assante, Ruby Dee, RZA, John Ortiz, John Hawkes, Ted Levine, Yul Vazquez

Date Of Review: February 2008

“American Gangster” is “The Black Godfather”. It’s the first major Hollywood film to present a tale about the black Mafia as opposed to the more traditional Italian mafia. It is a big bold attempt. It’s based on a true story and the good news is, the film works. Why it works is that the story is engaging but more so, it depends a lot on the casting and the richness of performance. With the wrong cast this film could have so easily been an epic misfire but when you cast 2 Academy Award winning actors at the top of their game in a story this grand, well it just has to work. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are the perfect pair to make a story this involved believable.

The film is essentially a two-hander, it shows the rise of a criminal and the cop on the sidelines who is trying to piece it all together. Denzel Washington is perfectly cast as Frank Lucas, the villain of the piece, a suave suit-wearing criminal who creates his own warped version of the American dream through importing drugs from Thailand into the streets of Harlem. Denzel confirms his status as his generation’s Sydney Poitier and holds his own with heavyweight Crowe. On the street Washington supplies a purer blend of narcotics at a better price than all the other opposition. Russell Crowe is in top form as Detective Richie Roberts, a cop who had become somewhat of an outcast due to his honesty in the job. Crowe proves once again that he is certainly one of the best actors working today and is given one of his best ever roles as Roberts, a sympathetic, but tough as nails cop with genuine sensitivity and integrity for his work. We follow the lives of these two men for about 2 ¼ hours until they finally come together. Along the way there is a third story thread, with a ruthless, corrupt cop played by Josh Brolin. Brolin is something of a revelation of late with two well-timed performances in the one year, this one and as the hunter in “No Country For Old Men”. At the moment Brolin is certainly an actor to watch out for.  Aside from the leads, the supporting cast of Armand Assante, Cuba Gooding Jr and Ruby Dee as Washington’s concerned mother are also on target.

It must be said that “American Gangster” is not an action film. It is a hard-boiled character drama. The film could have easily been called ”The Rise of Frank Lucas”. “American Gangster” could even be held in comparison with Gene Hackman’s “The French Connection” but what set that film aside from this one is that it had a number of tension-filled, action-chase sequences that were groundbreaking. “American Gangster” is all story based, with minimal action. The action is hinted at but never fully-realized, although there are a few violent moments that propel the story. Maybe a well choreographed action set-piece in the heart of the film would have elevated the happenings. Nevertheless, Ridley Scott has carefully crafted a cops and robbers film rich in detail, a story that is compelling, rewarding and above all, well-acted.

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Pick Of The Flicks - Recommended Links:
Russell Crowe at Hollywood Cult Movies
Denzel Washington at Hollywood Cult Movies
Josh Brolin at Internet Actors Database

Hollywood Gangsters at Hollywood Cult Movies
Heroes & Villains at Hollywood Cult Movies

Dirty Harry & Friends at Hollywood Teen Movies
Drama, Mystery & Thrillers at Hollywood Teen Movies

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