Gritty, raw, shocking, unsettling, these words and more come to mind when thinking about Ridley Scotts’ new film “American Gangster”, and all within the first couple of moments in the films lengthy viewing time. It’s not surprising that American Gangster is a good movie, it’s surprising that this movie actually managed to pull off what Scott and company envisioned. What they’ve delivered is a tightly woven picture that tells the tail of Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, the infamous heroin dealer and organized crime boss who practically owned Harlem during the late 60’s and 70’s, and Richie Roberts, played by Russell Crowe the troubled but honest detective responsible for busting up Lucas’s empire. Both men play their roles so accurately that it’s easy to forget that they’ve acted together before in the 1995 action film “Virtuosity” where, ironically enough, Crowe played the bad guy and Washington played the cop. It’s never easy to forget that two major stars are in the same movie, especially when the two starts have eight Academy Award nominations between them.
It all works out for the better though, because instead of having Crowe and Washington fight it out a million times before the finish they don’t meet until the very end of the film, giving both men time to build up their characters until the final face off. Both characters are so engrossing that they both stand alone without the other ones help. American Gangster would’ve still have worked if it would’ve have just been about Lucas. Washington is truly a perfect fit as Lucas, easily shedding his heroic demeanor we’re all used to and transforming into the sinister drug kingpin. If you didn’t know any better you’d think that Denzel played nothing but bad guys throughout his entire career, oblivious to the fact that this is only his second role as the bad guy, the first being his Academy Award winning turn in 2001’s “Training Day”.
While he’s never as ruthless as he could be the fact that you know that Lucas can go “Scarface” one someone gives his performance that extra punch. Everyone knows the quiet guy is always the most dangerous, and that’s exactly how Denzel approaches his portrayal of Lucas.
Crowe, on the other hand could’ve carried the movie as if it was all about it his character. The story of Richie Roberts could’ve been developed far more than it was. I’m not sure if the writers downplayed Roberts’s story so it wouldn’t overshadow Lucas’s, but it’s obvious that Ridley Scott could’ve went miles with the Roberts’ character. Both characters are so strong that you become completely engrossed.
You want to see Roberts (Crowe) succeed in his efforts to capture Lucas (Denzel), but at the same time you want to see Denzel make it out unscathed. It’s truly a tug of war between who you want to root for. For this reason alone I’d, say that “American Gangster” isn’t as good as it could’ve been.
As much as I felt a connection with both characters it was difficult to keep up with both of them. While this didn’t really hurt the film, it didn’t help it by any means. While Denzel is clearly the main actor, Crowe shines just as bright. Again, this is offset by the fact that they don’t share the screen. Their characters don’t even know about each other until about midway through the film. This serves as a great tension builder, but can also grow tiresome. So be forewarned, don’t go to see this movie if you’re expecting some sort of cat and mouse chase, because you will be disappointed.
This movie is rooted in realism. No outlandish action sequences, no over the top death scenes, and no over blown special effects. What you get is a real movie about a real life gangster who had to face real life consequences. “American Gangster” is a fabulous film that utilizes all of its strengths. For just like we get to see Frank Lucas’s meteoric rise into power and wealth, we also get to see the downward spiral that ruined him. This time, the Godfather didn’t get to die in his mansion with his loved ones surrounding him, he didn’t go out in a blaze of glory hopped up on drugs, and he didn’t move out of the country to escape his past. Instead, he was convicted of his crimes and had to turn informant to survive. It’s a bittersweet reminder that the bigger they are the harder fall. Luckily for us, American Gangster doesn’t fall.