American Gangster

What can I say about this film? Ridley Scott has created a big, bold, good looking gangster movie. It certainly looks good. He really captured New York City in the 60s and 70s. But there is just too much film. It needed to be edited down into a shorter version. I don't have problems watching long films. But this film needed to be trimmed. As far as I'm concerned it is very overrated. Certainly not a bad film but not a really good one either.

The film is based on a true story. Screenwriter Steven Zallian adapted it from an article written by Mark Jacobson about Harlem crime boss Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington). Lucas makes his fortune by importing heroin from Southeast Asia during the Vietnam war. He has a unique way of bringing the drugs into the US. Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is trying to hunt him down. Oh, by the way, Roberts is also a lawyer. But you will see more about that if you see the film.

There is really nothing new in this film. We have seen it all before and in better films. The last forty minutes of the film are pretty exciting and the rest of the film has its moments but they are few and far between. Denzel does Denzel. He is good at what he does but it is almost always the same thing. Crowe is good as the cop with problems. The wonderful Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Frank's brother Huey. The role is a bit underwritten. Ruby Dee plays Frank's mother. She has only a few scenes but one of them is one of the best scenes in the film. Armand Assante and Cuba Gooding, Jr. also make appearances in the film. Ted Levine does a nice turn as Detective Lou Toback, who is trying to help Richie. But best of all is Josh Brolin as the corrupt cop Detective Trupo. He is a real SOB. I am glad that Brolin has finally shown us what a good actor he is (he has several other films out this year but this and No Country for Old Men really show us what he can do).

I hope that American Gangster does not get a lot of Oscar nominations. It doesn't deserve them. Last year another gangster film, The Departed, won Best Picture Oscar (that at least had some stinging dialog). I doubt that this film will do the same. If you like slick gangster films then you will like this. And that being said it isn't a bad film. It is just very far from the best (and certainly not as good as some films that the critics have panned.