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American Gangster - Spoiler Free Review

We’ve seen the story line before, cops and robbers, cop and drug lord, and when it’s done right (i.e. Michael Mann’s Heat) you forget the basic formula and are absorbed in the story. You find that you don’t take sides and you just get wrapped up in the story. You trust the director to take you on a ride and when the ride is unpredictable you know you are in for a treat.

A treat is exactly what you get in Ridley Scott’s latest American Gangster.

American Gangster is a story about the King of Harlem in the late 60’s/early 70’s, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington). Lucas builds an empire by importing pure heroin from Southeast Asia, with some help from the US Military, unknown to them. What happens when the middle man is eliminated? The savings are passed straight on to the junkies.

Enter good cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), Roberts is a saint on the force, to the chagrin of his fellow cops. So much so that he is considered an outcast within the ranks of the NYC police department. However that makes him the perfect candidate to head a task force to take a bite out of crime, and track down where this new magic drug is coming from and who is behind it all.

Washington takes a big 'ol bite into the roll of Frank Lucas and gives the best performance of his career, Make no mistake; he is completely bad ass and creates a moral character you would never want to cross. You read correctly, Lucas is a moral character. He feels that what he is doing is actually ridding the streets of junkies by selling them the drug and letting them OD, therefore reducing the junkie population.

With Lucas’s new found wealth (averaging $1 million a day) first thing he does to buy a mansion for his mother and goes into business with his brothers. Family first, always!

Crowe is equally great as Richie Roberts, a cop whose personal life is in the toilet; on the verge of divorce from his wife (the ever gorgeous Carla Gugino) who is threatening to take his son and move away. He is a womanizer and seems to have no regard for himself. However as a cop, he too has some ethics. A perfect opportunity to swipe tons of cash from an undiscovered crime scene puts him on the outs with what appears to be a police force full of corrupt cops. He has seen the dangers of Lucas’ product first hand and is committed to get the junk off the streets. This is easily Crowe’s best performance since The Insider.

Both Crowe and Russell are mesmerizing in American Gangster but for me, the true star is behind the camera, director Ridley Scott. Scott directed two of my all time favorite films, Alien and Blade Runner. I am going on record to say this is Scott’s best films since Blade Runner. Scott has worked with Crowe before (Gladiator and A Good Year and in the upcoming Body of Lies) and damn if these two aren’t another Scorsese/De Niro paring, I don’t know what is.

What makes American Gangster so great is the pacing. Scott takes his time telling the Frank Lucas story, but not so much that the audience gets bored. The complete opposite actually, the story flows so smoothly and with ease. The action is extreme and faced paced, yet not over the top. The violence is necessary to tell the story, as well as developing the characters; and at times shocking.

Bottom line folks; American Gangster is hands down one of the best films you will see all year. Get lost in the world of the cat and mouse game of Lucas and Roberts.

Geek in the City gives American Gangster 4.5 out of 5 Critical Hits.