Official Movies Trailer: American Gangster [Blu-ray]

American Gangster [Blu-ray] Review

For the longest time, it has been argued that the godfather (from the movie of the same title) is not about Vito Corleone but about Michael Corleone because it is about his ascent/descent into the underworld. And, at the very end, he is the godfather to Connie's son while his rivals are being executed. In the same respect, I had to wonder about who the real gangster is here: Frank Lucas (Washington) or Special Detective Truppo (Brolin). While we do watch Lucas' burgeoning success as a drug dealer, it is Truppo who acts with the viciousness of a gangster. He and his flock of black-jacketed, vulture-like crooked cops are more terrifying and brazen than Lucas. Lucas acts with compassion at times--even while burning an enemy alive in the opening sequence, he mercifully blasts him away before the flames can prolong his agony. In fact, any time he resorts to violence seems forced. Truppo has no compunction about saying things like "Maybe next time I throw you and your brother in the river." In fact Truppo is a nemesis to both Lucas and Officer Roberts (Crowe). His malevolence is everywhere.

Then, like "The French Connection" it is about the complex world of drug-trafficking and the frustrations of law enforcement to understand it--especially in the wild and wooly days of the late-60s to late-70s. Crowe does an exceptional job of expressing this frustration and confusion (he cannot believe that a Black man could do what the Italian Mafia could not--monopolize the drug trade in all five boroughs and then the outer counties, including New Jersey). To make matters worse, Roberts has to contend with the corruption in his own department.

All this makes for a dark but engrossing film that leaves you impressed with director Scott's ability to recreate a world that has vanished a few decades ago, at least in appearance.

So why not a perfect score? Two things: First, the prolonged scenes concerning Roberts' divorce are way too distracting. While I love looking at Carla Gugino, her thankless role in thankless scenes detract from the film's pacing. Second, the second disc--with its self-congratulatory nods to the costume designers, set designers, fried egg designers--really aren't worth watching. The only thing on that disc worth watching is the discussion between the real Frank Lucas and the real Richie Roberts. And even that discussion is marginally interesting. Still, this is a set worth owning.

American Gangster [Blu-ray] Overview

Academy Award® winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe team with director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) in this powerful, epic story. Armed with ruthless tactics and a strict sense of honor, crime boss Frank Lucas (Washington) rules Harlem's chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts (Crowe) sets out to bring down Lucas's multimillion-dollar empire, it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation.

American Gangster [Blu-ray] Specifications

Ridley Scott puts on his "sweeping saga" gameface again, this time not for the sci-fi vistas of Blade Runner or the ancient world of Gladiator but for an urban epic. American Gangster gives the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a real-life Harlem crime lord who built an empire on Southeast Asian heroin in the 1970s. Running parallel to Lucas's somewhat standard story is the investigation led by a persistent New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts is a more interesting character than Lucas--too honest for his own good, unlucky in his personal life--and this kind of character, easily patronized by others, fits Crowe like a polyester shirt. Scott's tendency to hit his points square on the noggin is much in evidence here, including the typecasting of the supporting roles and the predictable Serpico atmosphere of the whole thing. (And speaking of supporting actors, the film needs more Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose role as a Lucas sidekick feels cut down.) It succeeds as a kind of chewy entertainment, fueled by the presence of two big stars working their muscles. Both Washington and Crowe look pretty brawny here. --Robert Horton

Stills from American Gangster (Click for larger image)