American Gangster

Wilsford's Review
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Notable Characters:
Denzel Washington – Frank Lucas
Russell Crowe – Richie Roberts

Plot (contains spoilers): Up and coming premier gangster of New York, Frank Lucas, finds himself in position to use the values of capitalism to his advantage. Those values being selling a product that the people want at a price that is better than the competition, the product in this case is heroin. Lucas is able to achieve this by buying directly from the heroin source and transporting the drugs through military transport. Richie Roberts, an honest cop that no one wants to work with, gets assigned to a special drug task force. One night out scouting potential suspects, he notices Lucas sitting in better seats than the New York mob boss. This sends Roberts and his team down the trail of discovering who Frank Lucas really is. At the end of the Vietnam war, Lucas sees that his operation is in jeopardy and so he places a large order and conceives to smuggle in the drugs through the caskets of dead soldiers. Roberts and company follow the drugs to the place where they are packaged and distributed and capture all the bad guys in a multi-floor shootout in the projects. With a massive amount of evidence that would put Lucas away for the rest of his life, he agrees to a deal, proposed by Roberts, to turn in dirty cops. In the end, due to Frank Lucas’s information, 75% of New York’s drug enforcement officers are arrested and Frank spends the next 15 years in prison.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:
· It was slow and long. Usually long movies don’t bother me because I feel that I am getting more for my money. However, when a long movie isn’t good or in this case is slow, the length really stands out.
· Russell Crowe. I have had a real up-and-down relationship with Russell Crowe. As of late it has been on the up swing but he was a let down in this movie. Let me make it clear, he wasn’t bad. He was good, I just was expecting more.
· The story itself seemed choppy. I don’t know how to explain it except through an analogy. Say you found a recipe for making chocolate chip cookies that involved 10 steps. Unfortunately this recipe only showed 7 steps. While the recipe is incomplete, you could still figure it out and make the cookies and thus the outcome will be the same. It is just that it would have been easier to follow if it included all the steps.

Reason why I liked it:
· Denzel Washington is awesome. I loved him in this movie from the opening scene. When he set the guy on fire and shot him, while that is gruesome, they way he portrayed himself really set the tone that Frank Lucas is an evil man.

Final Notes: This movie isn’t awful. It is long and there are some scenes that are unnecessary, but the general story is interesting. However, I would just wait for video.

Young’s Review
Two of Hollywood’s top heavyweights face off in ‘American Gangster’. The sport of boxing, which is struggling mightily to attract viewers, can only dream of having such a scenario.

This film is memorable for the performances its stars turn in, and this is the main reason I am giving it a 'thumbs up'. Denzel Washington plays Frank Lucas, a 1970’s crime boss in Harlem that thrives in the illegal drug trade. Russell Crowe is Richie Roberts, the cop bent on stopping him. Lucas is the head of a crime syndicate that specializes in selling the purest heroine on the street for half the price. Roberts is trying to make a small difference in the drug epidemic in New York City, but all the corruption in the local police department makes it difficult. When his boss suggests he head up a drug task force designed to take down the major distributors, Roberts jumps at the chance.

The boxing analogy is fitting because Roberts discovers Lucas on a stakeout at an Ali-Frazier fight. Roberts notices that Lucas is in a prime seat for the fight and wonders how he got there. The forthcoming investigation uncovers just how deep Lucas is in the drug selling game.

The film is a brilliant juxtaposition of right and wrong. Lucas is ruthless with anyone that gets in his way, including his own family. The opening scene sets the tone for the character, as Lucas douses a man with gasoline, lights him on fire, pulls out a gun and unloads a round of bullets. Roberts, in contrast, finds nearly a million dollars in unmarked bills in a suspect's car and turns it in as evidence. This move is even more noble when contrasted with the rampant corruption surounding him at work.

Washington gives one of his best performances in an already illustrious career. In his hands, Lucas is both ruthless and calculated. Crowe, the master of unlimited accents, doesn't wilt in the presence of Washington. His performance is memorable for bringing out the desperation Roberts feels to stay in control of some part of his life as his marriage crumbles.

A scene towards the end featuring Lucas and Roberts together in an interrogation room is classic filmmaking. Scenes like this are why Washington and Crowe make the big bucks. They play off each other so well, each not backing down from the other. It makes you regret that this is the only scene they share. The connection the two created while making 1995's 'Virtuosity' is clearly on display here.

While the two lead actors shine, they are not the only positives. Ridley Scott adds to the long list of quality films he has directed (such as 'Gladiator' and 'Thelma and Louise'). Scott moves the story foward in a logical, if deliberate, pace and gets top-notch performances from the entire cast. Josh Brolin is dynamite as a crooked cop. Armand Assante plays a typical Italian mobster, Dominic Cattano, and does it well. Cuba Gooding Jr. also makes a memorable appearance as club owner Nicky Barnes.

This film recalls legendary mob movies such as 'The Godfather' and 'Goodfellas'. While it is not the film those classics were, it is still a must see. This is the second film of the year (along with 'Eastern Promises') that belongs on any 'Best Mafia Movies' list. I strongly recommend it to fans of the genre.