American Gangster Review

American Gangster reviews

Movie

American Gangster

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2008-02-08 00:47:32

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

We've seen American Gangster's roots plenty—as recently as The Departed and as far back as Scarface—but between its formidable acting duo and story in need of retelling, there's plenty here to intrigue.

Story

Set in late-'60s/early-'70s Harlem, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) is a relative nobody, an underling driver existing well beneath his gangster mentor Bumpy Johnson (Clarence Williams III). But when Bumpy dies, that all changes. Likewise, street cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is small-time, best known for having turned over a boatload of found cash out of the goodness of his heart. But in a way, his status also begins to ascend around the time of Bumpy's death. And so, Lucas and Roberts, both quickly rising through the ranks of their respective law-breaking and abiding hierarchies, are on a collision course—each without the knowledge the other even existed. Frank doesn't waste any time asserting himself once Bumpy dies, and he will go on to become the only kind of drug peddler with a shot at staying power: opportunistic, ruthless and not one to consume his own product. Lucas' get-rich-quick scheme of importing Vietnamese heroin via U.S. soldiers' caskets eliminates the middleman and nets him millions. But as is always the case, one lapse in vigilance puts him at risk, and Roberts is there waiting.

Acting

Behold, moviegoers, the mother lode of acting duos—only we saw Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe together on screen 12 years ago in Virtuosity. Oh well. Truth be told, the short time in which they share scenes has nothing on its buildup thereof, but these two are a marvel in their own separate arcs. Denzel is the gaudier of them, relishing his Scarface-sized villain even more than he did Alonzo in Training Day. It's a top-notch performance to add to a career full of them, and there are a plethora of scenes from which to choose for his Oscar reel. Crowe, meanwhile, isn't quite as riveting as he was a few months ago in 3:10 to Yuma, but that's partly because cinematic good guys always finish second in terms of watchability. And when the climactic confrontation nears, Crowe dials up the tension a few notches. The marquee names, though, are but the tip of the iceberg in this star-studded affair, which also boasts the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor (who recently co-starred with Denzel in Inside Man), Cuba Gooding Jr., Common, Carla Gugino, RZA, John Hawkes, Ted Levine and the legendary Ruby Dee. But Gangster's (no longer hidden) gem is Josh Brolin, currently enjoying a major resurgence. With apologies to Denzel, Brolin's deliciously hateful, corrupt cop might be the best performance here.

Direction

Ridley Scott--semi-legendary for his sci-fi (Alien, Blade Runner), action (Gladiator) and feminism (Thelma and Louise)--is not the first director who would come to mind for a gritty, talky, urban period drama, but he displays unforeseen versatility with Gangster. Nothing feels inauthentic here, from the look of Vietnam-era New York City and its inhabitants to the documentary-style feel of the sparse action, and it's a surprisingly restrained effort from Scott that allows for such realism. Other filmmakers might've been tempted to deflect Gangster into shoot-'em-up territory, with, say, an action-centric take on the size of villainry possessed by Lucas, but Scott does well in staying true to what this story is, and is not, about. And while there's nothing especially groundbreaking or unforgettable about his effort, Scott keeps the two and a half hours pretty compelling. Gangster's unsung hero, however, is its real subject, Lucas, and his true story, even more so than the one adapted by Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List) from Marc Jacobson's New York Times article. It's a fascinating tale of everything that makes for good movies—race, class, money, drugs, corruption—brought to the screen vividly by a director who could potentially be in line for his first Oscar.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

Copyright © CinemaSource 2008.

Movie

American Gangster

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-11-09 15:40:21

Provider

MRIB

Review

Ridley Scott's American Gangster wasn't named by chance. His story of the '70s Harlem heroin dealer Frank Lucas is as much about the place occupied by the gangster in the American cultural psyche as it is about the meat of the plot.

Denzel Washington plays Lucas, demonstrating, as he did in Training Day, that good as he is playing upright good guys, he's even better when he dons the metaphorical black hat. Lucas is driver and enforcer to Harlem legend Bumpy Johnson, stepping into his shoes when the gang kingpin dies of a heart attack.

His stroke of genius is too source the drugs himself, rather than going through the Mafia. Smuggling vast quantities of heroin from the Far East into America via the coffins of GIs returning from Vietnam, he's able to offer the product cheaper and purer than the opposition. Soon the Mafia are working for him, and the cops barely even know who Lucas is.

Russell Crowe plays Richie Roberts, the New Jersey cop detailed to catch his nemesis. While Washington's role as Lucas is relatively unfamiliar, Crowe is channelling the memories of previous movie policemen, such as Gene Hackman's obsessive Popeye Doyle in French Connection and Al Pacino as Serpico. The latter is particularly pertinent, as Roberts' scrupulous honesty makes him an outcast.

Flaws? Few and far between: the vast army of supporting characters remain largely undeveloped, appearing to get shouted at, punched or shot, but never really taking on the life needed to support a two-and-a-half hour movie. But this is a minor criticism in a film that flies on the strength of its major performances - particularly one that will doubtless see Denzel Washington back in the frame come Oscar time.

Copyright © MRIB 2007.