American Gangster (2007)

This Movie Is About: the real life story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) who became the drug lord of Harlem in the 1960s all the way up to the mid 1970s. He bought directly from Vietnam and flooded the streets with his miracle drug, Blue Magic. It's pretty much the rise and fall of this guy who started out as a driver and a body guard who became the biggest name in Harlem during that time. But this story is also about the detective that went after him. Detective Ritchie Roberts (Russell Crowe) was given the chance to start his own narcotics division to crack down on the increasing drug activity in New Jersey and New York. The story pits two people from opposite sides of society and morals together only to show how we are not all that different and what we think is wrong might be perfectly right for someone else and vice versa.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: this is a straight up drama with so content that it will blow your mind out. People might think that this is a gangster shoot 'em up movie but it isn't. It's very slow and deliberate which might sour some people but for those who appreciate cinema and the style and message this film tries to capture, this film will be a pleasure to watch. Denzel and The Crowe both give top-notch performances as they both try to out smart the other while at the same time having to deal with the same social problems that plagued the 1960s and even up 'till today. This movie is highly entertaining for almost the entire thing even though there are lots of dialogue and exchanges and by the third act you are just strapped to your seat. It is probably one of the best third acts I have seen in film for a long time.

What's Hot: The characters themselves are so well thought out that it's a beauty to watch. Frank Lucas and Ritchie Roberts start out at exactly the opposite ends of the specturm. Frank is a great family man and has real good ethics and morals when it comes to family while Ritchie is a great cop and his ethics are iron-clad when it comes to the job when he's a shitty husband and even worse father. Through out the film their paths criss-cross in a certain way which leads them to a compromise with each other and their views on society. As much as this is a crime film about a famous gangster, a major element of the film is the black culture during this time and how it was rising up but in the wrong way. This film does well in bringing to life that problem with the African American community during this time trying to rise up and be strong. Because they were taught to live a certain way, the bad kind, that's all they knew how to do, so when they took that to the next level, it was natural for most of the to turn to drugs and violence. Now, I'm not going to pretend I knew what was happening at this time and I'm not sure if this movie captures the true essence of Harlem in the 1960s but it sure felt real and the story benefited greatly by using that as a back drop.

What's Not Hot: This movie started 40 minutes too late. I don't mean the film didn't start on time, I mean there was a whole bunch of set up with Lucas and Roberts that weren't really needed or perhaps could have been incorporated as the story moved along. During the beginning, there was a lot of characterization and explanation of how these guys go to where they were but I didn't really care because they weren't doing anything. Plus, I didn't live in the 1960s in Harlem so I don't really have that connection with these characters. It wasn't until Frank went to Bangkok did things start to pick up and once you're in the story, you're in it for good.

Last Comments: American Gangster is a unique drama that ties together action, suspense, crime and social commentary all into a nice package filled with great acting and care for the characters. Even though these were true events, I felt that the actors made the characters their own and really got into the role. All the supporting characters were excellent as well especially when Frank gets his entire family in on his operation, it really adds to the stakes when the family starts to interferes with Frank and we get to see how his tolerance for family begin to fade. This is the same arc for Roberts as well and these two characters ask the question of what is right. That question does not have an answer during that time and still doesn't have one today. What gives the law the right to say what's right anymore. Especially with Vietnam, America was vulnerable. The government proved to everyone that they can make mistakes so why can't everybody else? And indeed they do make mistakes and it's up to these two characters from different parts of town to come together and figure out what is the best way to move society forward in a positive and relatively mistake free step.

Breaking It Down:
Story: 8.5 (Mark Jacobson: article, Steve Zaillian: screenplay)
Direction: 7.5 (Ridely Scott)
Acting: 9.0
Cinematography: 8.0
Music/Sound: 7.6

Entertainment Value: 8.5