Denzel Embraces Mob Mentality
Published: Nov 2, 2007
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So perhaps "American Gangster," Ridley Scott's much-anticipated mobster epic, doesn't have a single original idea in its head, with its unshakable shades of "Scarface" and "Serpico" and "Superfly." And maybe it's a half-hour too long - this time of year, what film with awards ambitions isn't?
But it's exceptionally crafted and superbly acted, with the on-screen combo of Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe unsurprisingly proving impossible to resist, even though it takes about two hours for their paths to cross.
That's one of the more compelling elements of the film, written by veteran Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List"). Washington, as real-life heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, and Crowe, as detective Richie Roberts, are on a collision course with one another that's bursting with the gritty period atmosphere of 1970s Harlem.
Washington simply radiates as Frank, returning comfortably to the charismatic bad-guy territory that earned him an Academy Award in "Training Day." And Crowe, who earlier this year was the one playing the stylish villain you love to root for in the remake of "3:10 to Yuma," is just as powerful as the bulldog on the right side of the law.
That their characters' personalities are such complete opposites may be a bit too obvious, as is the fact that they clearly share a rigid moral code. Both men inhabit their roles so fully, though, they make such shortcomings easy to overlook.
After toiling loyally for years as the driver to a distinguished gang lord, Frank steps in and takes over the neighborhood after the man's death. He is nattily attired and exceedingly polite, even as he shoots a rival in the head on the sidewalk in broad daylight, but he's also given to flashes of rage in the face of impropriety. That personalized sense of right and wrong, coupled with his Southern-boy charm, serve him well as he builds his own unique empire.
Tired of relying on Mafia middle men to help him import the drugs he will eventually sell on the street, he just flies to Thailand and finds a way to bring back the heroin on his own. He then cuts it twice as strong for half the price, names it Blue Magic and earns both a rabid following and the envy of his competition.
That he's made himself a millionaire through the destruction of his own people, urban blacks, doesn't seem to faze Frank.
At the same time, Richie can't seem to do anything right. He finds money stashed in the trunk of a car - clearly another cop's ill-gotten gains - and turns it in, knowing that doing so will make him a pariah among his peers.
He works relentlessly, hungrily, and this is a trait that will serve him well even before he realizes he's looking for Frank.
Reveling in wretched excess is, of course, one of the main points of a film like "American Gangster," but so is the down-and-dirty thrill of the hunt. Scott steadily propels both men's stories toward one another until the tantalizing moment when they finally meet. Then all falls silent and still. It's a breathtaking scene but it's also one of the few you're likely to remember in a film that can otherwise be so derivative.
MOVIE REVIEW
American Gangster ♣
MOVIE BOARD RATING: R (violence, drug content, profanity, nudity and sexuality)
STARS: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Ruby Dee
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott
LOCATION: See movie times, Page 8, for local showtimes.
PLOT SUMMARY: A mobster and a cop are on a collision course.
RUNNING TIME: 157 minutes
ON THE WEB: american
gangster.net
