2008 Woodie Awards
American Gangster stands on its own
John Boschini
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Friday marked the release of one of the most anticipated movie of the fall. American Gangster has been called the black Godfather or an American Scarface, but in this critic's opinion it is a gangster movie that stands alone. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe star and leave little doubt that they are two of the greatest actors to ever appear on the silver screen. American Gangster is the real life story of 60s mafia leader Frank Lucas and his rise to wealth and fame followed by his inevitable fall at the hands of the law.
The movie begins with Frank Lucas (Washington) and his Harlem gangster mentor dousing an unknown enemy with gasoline and burning him alive. Following Frank's boss's untimely death, Lucas takes over the Harlem drug scene by traveling to the jungles of Thailand and Vietnam and harvesting the opium himself. After calling his family from no where else than Greensboro, N.C., Lucas sets up an Italian-esque family structure with brothers and cousins in charge of various stages of the operation. Lucas' new premium form of heroine takes all of New York by storm and upsets the natural order of the drug trade. Like his mentor, Frank will bribe, blackmail and even murder if it helps his business.
Along with the action packed storyline of Frank is the more subdued, character driven drama of Richie Roberts (Crowe). While dealing with his ex-wife and son moving to Las Vegas and an attempt to pass the bar exam, his "regular" cop life falls through after he turns in a million dollars in unmarked cash and his partner leaves the force after becoming a junkie. Due to the growing drug problem in New York, Richardson is put in charge of a federal drug task force.
As Frank gains power and Robert infiltrates the drug cartels further, the two characters inch closer and closer to an explosive meeting. The inevitable final battle between the cops and dealers is exciting with kilos of cocaine exploding and chase scenes through the projects. However, the real climax of the movie is found when Washington and Crow finally share scenes. Seeing two powerhouses of the industry finally sharing scenes is a treat to anyone who appreciates cinema.
Ridley Scott, the mastermind behind Gladiator, directed wonderfully taking the audience from pre-Giuliani, unpleasant New York to the jungles of Thailand flawlessly. The action is exciting and Lucas is a bonified badass but that is not where the brilliance of this movie lies. The emphasis is on the character and the audience is led to root for a man who lights people on fire because they did not pay him on time. Denzel transfers from the articulate family man with a Puerto Rican trophy wife to the gangster with a short temper. He is also backed up by strong character acting by Chiwetel Ejifor and Cuba Gooding Jr., who finally remembered that he can act and doesn't need to be doing such movies as Daddy Day Camp and underwear commercials.
I have but one tiny complaint about this movie. Screen time is split between Russell Crow and Denzel Washington. Denzel is so compelling that when we leave him for 15-20 minutes to focus on Russell Crow's custody battle the movie begins to lose momentum. By sheer force of will, Russell keeps the audience engaged and forces us to sympathize with a scrappy little cop from New Jersey.
American Gangster isn't the most original movie of the year but it is certainly the most mistake-free. Everything about this movie shows the talent and professionalism we have some to expect from Ridley Scott. Due to the academy awards long standing love affair with Washington, Crow and Scott, do not be surprised to see the producers of American Gangster take the stage to accept the Oscar for Best Picture.
The movie begins with Frank Lucas (Washington) and his Harlem gangster mentor dousing an unknown enemy with gasoline and burning him alive. Following Frank's boss's untimely death, Lucas takes over the Harlem drug scene by traveling to the jungles of Thailand and Vietnam and harvesting the opium himself. After calling his family from no where else than Greensboro, N.C., Lucas sets up an Italian-esque family structure with brothers and cousins in charge of various stages of the operation. Lucas' new premium form of heroine takes all of New York by storm and upsets the natural order of the drug trade. Like his mentor, Frank will bribe, blackmail and even murder if it helps his business.
Along with the action packed storyline of Frank is the more subdued, character driven drama of Richie Roberts (Crowe). While dealing with his ex-wife and son moving to Las Vegas and an attempt to pass the bar exam, his "regular" cop life falls through after he turns in a million dollars in unmarked cash and his partner leaves the force after becoming a junkie. Due to the growing drug problem in New York, Richardson is put in charge of a federal drug task force.
As Frank gains power and Robert infiltrates the drug cartels further, the two characters inch closer and closer to an explosive meeting. The inevitable final battle between the cops and dealers is exciting with kilos of cocaine exploding and chase scenes through the projects. However, the real climax of the movie is found when Washington and Crow finally share scenes. Seeing two powerhouses of the industry finally sharing scenes is a treat to anyone who appreciates cinema.
Ridley Scott, the mastermind behind Gladiator, directed wonderfully taking the audience from pre-Giuliani, unpleasant New York to the jungles of Thailand flawlessly. The action is exciting and Lucas is a bonified badass but that is not where the brilliance of this movie lies. The emphasis is on the character and the audience is led to root for a man who lights people on fire because they did not pay him on time. Denzel transfers from the articulate family man with a Puerto Rican trophy wife to the gangster with a short temper. He is also backed up by strong character acting by Chiwetel Ejifor and Cuba Gooding Jr., who finally remembered that he can act and doesn't need to be doing such movies as Daddy Day Camp and underwear commercials.
I have but one tiny complaint about this movie. Screen time is split between Russell Crow and Denzel Washington. Denzel is so compelling that when we leave him for 15-20 minutes to focus on Russell Crow's custody battle the movie begins to lose momentum. By sheer force of will, Russell keeps the audience engaged and forces us to sympathize with a scrappy little cop from New Jersey.
American Gangster isn't the most original movie of the year but it is certainly the most mistake-free. Everything about this movie shows the talent and professionalism we have some to expect from Ridley Scott. Due to the academy awards long standing love affair with Washington, Crow and Scott, do not be surprised to see the producers of American Gangster take the stage to accept the Oscar for Best Picture.
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