Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe cross paths in this somewhat powerful and surprisingly good R rated drama about a black man torn from his family, brought up on the streets of Harlem under the wing of a notorious black godfather and immortalized as someone no one expected to outshine the mafia in the 1960s with a list of colorful characters lingering in the shadows including two very different branches of cops.
What the impressively composed trailer and some media sources don't tell you is that the movie doesn't play out the way it appears. If you're waiting to see that dramatic shot of Denzel walking into that shady shop and showing his face in a gunshot flash, don't bother(unless I zoned off at that point). I was under the impression that the cop(Richie Roberts/Crowe) and the mafia-beater(Frank Lucas/Washington) had a deep-seeded resentment for each other and may cross paths more than once. But, in fact, this was not the case. [Without knowing the actual facts and stories included, I am unable to be certain of the difference between fact and movie fiction.] What is also a bit distracting is that the story doesn't truly get off the ground until approximately one and a half of the two hours and forty plus minutes have passed. It is at that moment--when Lucas/Washington has an unfortunate meeting with a batch of crooked cops and Roberts/Crowe watches from afar--that the recipe previously thought to be a poorly tossed together batch of raw ingredients starts to cook with a rather flavorful sauce of tension and suspense. Before then, I was considering this to be a mere photo album of random drug traffic movie tidbits that didn't provide me with enough of the true story to comprehend all the elements(which is partly why I zoned as much as I did).
In such a story, one is asked how such a mastermind could slip up badly enough to put the police on his trail. There is mention of certain mistakes in the way society works and how not to do illegal business. Denzel/Lucas makes at least two of them himself. [Caution. Spoilers ahead. To bypass, simply skip past the "[ ]" portion.]
[His mentor "Bumpy" Johnson starts the film by talking about how the "chinks" have been employed by the white man to cut out all the middle men in American business. He, like many of past and present times, speaks with resentment of the fact. But, Lucas, his Oliver-like pupil, seems to disregard this emotion and do the deed himself by smuggling drugs directly from southeast Asia via U.S. military contacts--placing himself outside the circle that incorporates all the smaller dealers(including one played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and "dairy farmers" as one American producer of the drug Lucas sells calls his operation. When everyone on the "outside" gets wind of the man selling a more potent drug at a cheaper price, their heads start to simmer and the heat slowly swirls into the mix, putting pressure on Lucas' operation.
Secondly, Lucas mentions the importance of keeping a low profile when he enlists the help of his family from North Carolina(who somewhat shockingly just fall in line from a humble country life to aiding in the traffic of the drug "Blue Magic"). He tells one brother, who decides to dress rather "loud," to tone it down or--if he wasn't family--have his brains blown. You would think he would be a better man of his word. But, upon becoming close to his Puerto Rican wife(Lymari Nadal), he is wooed into wearing a very eye-catching chinchilla coat which in fact draws the attention of Crowe's character.
A third mistake might be that Lucas/Denzel seems to live his life by a routine without any self-consciousness as he claims to be at home with his business in his country. This quickly becomes the cops' schedule for tracking clues and tackling the final bust.]
There is also the side story of Crowe's character to consider as he, though a heralded saintly cop for turing in a huge sum of money, has his own share of hardships--with his subtle lack in ability as a public speaker when it matters most--in contrast with Lucas' "spare no expense" lifestyle. But, many of these detailed moments do little for the overall film other than flush out the character a bit. [The best of moments being with a humble sandwich one Thanksgiving day.]
Before long, everything reaches a boil, and a big shoot-out ensues. When the drug dust clears, we get that nicely laid out turn of events in the eyes of the law and a conclusion with the complimentory side order of exposition. While, in some ways, the film resembled many others like it, there seems to be plenty of meat on the bone here to make it a rather watchable film(again, not knowing facts aside). I went in expecting a rather spicy yet typical drug/cop movie. And, for the first half, I was gradually losing faith in my estimation. But, past that white line, I was surprisingly brought back to life.
When it comes to film, appearance and sale play a big part. American Gangster provides enough imagery in both character and setting as well as some thought provoking moments and dramatic music to keep you thinking til the end shot(which put about a dozen of possible additions in my mind). [On a personal note, what do you--the reader--think he could/should have done next?] However, it is not perfect in any way(except maybe casting which was rather good--particularly the smaller, sharper role for Cuba Gooding, Jr. who seems better at the secondary than the main character). There are a few smaller details which don't register with me and at least one bigger tie to the drug business which seems unresolved. Still, I cannot deny the impact the overall package had on myself and waver as I give it between three and three and a half stars out of four.
--brainstormer
Visit http://www.americangangster.net/ for more information.
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