With the notion that moviegoers never tire of films about cops and gangsters, and right on the heels of the release of We Own the Night, comes American Gangster. Ridley Scott's saga is based on the real life of Frank Lucas, a heroin dealer and organized crime boss in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 70s. This two-hour-and-forty-minute film suffers from a meandering and unnecessary first act but settles into an engaging drama driven by the performances of Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott & Denzel Washington
Crowe plays Richie Roberts, a tenacious detective and drug enforcement agent swimming in a pool of corrupt policemen. Washington portrays Frank Lucas. When Harlem's main mob boss and Frank's mentor Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson (Clarence Williams III-unaccredited), dies, Frank is primed to walk in his shoes. While the first hour of the film sets the playing ground of these characters -- Richie as a womanizing and could-care-less father and Frank as a focused man in the shadows awaiting his turn as kingpin -- the story drags through one late 60s' bar scene after another.
Russell Crowe and Carla Gugino
Richie watches part of his world fade away when his wife Laurie (Carla Gugino) has had enough of his erratic work schedule and unfaithfulness and leaves him. The action appears little more than a mere headache to him as Richie at first seems concerned at the loss of his son but soon throws all his attention to bringing down Frank Lucas.
Denzel Washington and Lyman Nadal
He, on the other hand, breezes through his new-found fame. He marries the beautiful Miss Puerto Rico, Eva (Lymari Nadal); buys his mother (Ruby Dee) a lavish house and gives jobs to all his siblings. While the country is embroiled in the frenzy of the Vietnam War and corruption from judges to police officers is rampant, Frank is seductively building his business into a world-class drug trade organization begrudged by competing drug lords (Cuba Gooding, Armand Assante).
Ruby Dee and Denzel Washington
At this point I was caught up in the film. I can't say that either Crowe or Washington were stellar in their roles. Crowe seemed to whimsical for a dedicated drug agent, especially in the scenes where he's constantly chastised but his comrades for actually turning in a bag with more than one million dollars in drug money. Also the fact that he wore bright white tennis shoes that seemed ahead of their time kept drawing my attention away from the plot. Washington was one-note in almost every scene – cool hand Luke with Washington's now famous smile.
To prepare for his role, Washington actually paid a visit to the real Frank Lucas. "I didn’t try to imitate him, necessarily, but Frank’s such a charmer; that’s key to his character. I played Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter and did the same thing with him—just hung out with him, got him alone and got the truth—or, hopefully, got some version of it. What interested me in the story was not to glorify a drug dealer," said Washington who wrote the biblical passage Isaiah 48:22 [“There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked”] on his shooting script to remind him of Lucas’ journey and quest for redemption.
Josh Brolin (center) & Russell Crowe
American Gangster went through several directors and writers before making it to the big screen, which may account for the unevenness of the film. Like too many bananas on a pancake, the movie is crowded with characters and unnecessary scenes. Josh Brolin plays an over-the-top crooked cop; Chiwetel Ejiofor portrays Frank's brother; and there are many more drug dealers, good cops, bad cops and others to endure.
However, the story becomes intriguing once the action extends to international playing field. Frank begins to infiltrate a purer drug, “Blue Magic,” and that soon makes his competitors dangerously upset. This is when Richie becomes obsessed about ending Frank's criminal career as well as his cult status.
Russell Crowe & Denzel Washington
The movie's strength lies in these two characters who are extreme opposites in some realms and yet alike in others. What happens in one eclipsed moment when Frank gets out of prison is when the film really hits full steam. For me, American Gangster never rivals great gangster films such as The Godfather, GoodFellas or Serpico, but fans of the genre or of this cast will most likely be entertained.
Photo credits: Phillip Caruso/Universal Studios
