“American Gangster” (Universal Pictures)
Big Stars, Slow Movie
“American Gangster” has all the ingredients to be a hit; two major actors – Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe; a name director – Ridley Scott; and an action driven plot – drug warfare on the streets of Harlem. Still, even with all of this, the movie is difficult to watch because it moves so slooooowly in the first two thirds of the film.
The film is based on the true story of Frank Lucas (Washington), a drug lord in New York’s Harlem district. In the 70’s Lucas took on the Mafia drug lords by buying his product direct from the Asians in Vietnam and then cutting the price on the streets of Harlem. He became one of the most powerful men in the city and was rewarded with a huge fortune.
Lucas brought in his family from North Carolina to help run things. He also bought his mama (Ruby Dee) a huge mansion to live in. Lucas was living the good life until he came up on the radar of Richie Roberts (Crowe). Roberts was a police investigator who was above all a man of complete honor on the job. Off the job and in his personal life, well that was another matter.
Richie was assigned to investigate the drug trade and he did so with a vengeance. And at the same time he was going to law school and studying for the New York bar exam. Luckily he could multi-task and he did it all.
The movie is interesting but slowly presented in the first two thirds of the film. You get glimpses of the lives of both Lucas and Roberts but you don’t feel as if you get to know them except superficially. There is not depth to the characterizations but this is more the fault of the screenwriter and the director than of the actors.
Both actors do everything they can with the roles they are given, and finally in the final one third of the movie it pays off. At this time the efforts on Roberts’ part pay off and he comes face to face with his elusive prey. The scenes between Lucas and Roberts face to face are the most dynamic of the film. You are watching two extremely talented actors go toe to toe.
The movie is rated R for profanity, violence and nudity.
Another actor in the film who should be mentioned is Josh Brolin. He plays a corrupt cop who thinks he is above the law. His conceited manner and affected swagger say everything about the man he is. Brolin is good in every role he undertakes but in this one he is even better than usual.
“American Gangster” is worth seeing. If the pacing of the first part of the film had been cleaner and swifter then the movie would have made a better overall impression. As is, the good times don’t arrive until the end.
I scored “American Gangster” a criminal 6 out of 10.
