American Gangster (2007)
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Steven Zaillian
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Lymari Nadal
Language: English
Runtime: 157 Minutes
Age Rating: 18
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Reviewed by Ross Miller
The trailer for Ridley Scott’s newest cinematic effort left me considerably excited. From a musical and tonal stand-point the trailer was one of the best I’d ever seen. And in my opinion it doesn’t disappoint.
One half, or at least portion, of the movie centres around the character of Richie Roberts, played by Russell Crowe. He is an almost too honest cop working in an area and business riddled with dirty cops. At first he is looked down on for doing the honest thing by turning in a shed load of money to police custody instead of doing what almost every other cop would do and keep it. Meanwhile his personal life is crumbling as he faces an ongoing divorce trial and fighting for the custody of his son.
But the obvious point and character of the film is Frank Lucas, played powerfully by Denzel Washington. At the beginning of the film he is the driver and bodyguard for the most notorious gangster in New York City. He learns everything he would later come to know from his mentor. But after his mentor dies, Frank essentially takes over where he left off. He figures out a way to cut out the middle man in the drug dealing business and manages to be able to sell drugs that are double the potency for half the price. And eventually he becomes the “ruler” of the domain of New York City.
What has to be said first about American Gangster is the quality of everyone involved. We have Washington, in a role that couldn’t be more suited to him as an actor if he wrote it himself. He does his usual charismatic, powerful and likeable-yet-despicable thing that only he can do. I have heard a lot of people knocking his performance because it’s what we have seen from him countless times before but I say, “Stick to what you’re good at.” It’s not like we haven’t seen anything different from him but this is what he does best and I was more than happy to watch it on-screen once again.
The thing I admired about Washington’s character is how different he is to other gangsters in other films. This is a man who would carry out an execution on a traitor and then only an hour later take his mother to church. He has a strict moral code that he sticks to at all times, despite his sometime shocking displays of violence on anyone who gets in his way of doing business. He is a man that you both like to watch but at the same time hate for what he does. It’s tough to get the perfect balance of the two but I feel that Washington portrayed that very well.
Then we have one of the best actors alive today, Mr Russell Crowe. He isn’t the focus of the movie and nor should he be. The film is clearly Washington’s and Crowe doesn’t once steal the show. But at the same time he still manages to be on-screen for a lot of the movie and make his mark so that he doesn’t just fade into Washington’s background. Usually in a film like this the cops are always the same; honest enough until temptation becomes too much. This is enjoyable in its own right, as it provides for exciting confrontation between the good and bad guys. But it’s great to see a cop character be completely honest, resisting whatever temptations may arise. I can’t quite say that Crowe is on top-form here but he is more than adequate to fill the role.
And of course we then have the man behind the movie, Ridley Scott. Having produced the film as well as directed it this is effectively his film. He tells the story the way he wants to tell it, delivering it at his desired pace and in his desired fashion. He manages to give the film an overwhelming air of class and respect. He gives the film a certain flair and panache but at the same time doesn’t make it seem flashy or pretentious. The mood he sets, through a combination of the music and just the overall collaboration of him and the actors, suits the film perfectly. There may be a violent action happening on-screen but I guarantee it doesn’t offend but actually serves the purposes of the film and the story.
Scott takes his time telling this true story, and the film benefits from his patience. This is a story that demands a lot of screen time, one that demands not to be rushed. And at a runtime of almost two hours and forty minutes it may be a bit pressing for some people. But I encourage you to ignore the time, sit back and let yourself be immersed in this classily told, sprawling tale of crime and respect.
Despite the fact that Crowe’s character isn’t even aware of Washington’s for more than an hour of the movie there still is an underlying sense of connection and confrontation. The most obvious connection between the two is the moral code of ethics they both have, contrary to the way they both go about things. You feel as though at any minute there could be a showdown between Richie’s team of cops and Frank’s associates. But we are kept on our toes expecting something to happen and the very fact that not much does in the way of confrontation makes the film ever more effective. And when we do have some sort of confrontation between the two sets of people it really pays off.
Some people may classify this film as dull or even boring just because of the relatively slow pace and of course the length. But this isn’t an explosions and gun shootouts film (although there is a couple of instances of those), and if you expect that then you will no doubt be bored. But this was one of the main reasons I liked, nae loved, the film as much as I did; it gives you the chance to get to know the characters and the reasons behind their actions instead of just having it happen on-screen unexplained.
I can’t really put my finger on anything major that I didn’t like. There are a couple of minor things, such as some specific scenes and the last five minutes of the movie but apart from that I can’t complain.
There is much to recommend in American Gangster. The performances are very good, but especially Washington who has yet again won me over with another charismatic and strong performance. Scott gives the film a certain classy over (and under) tone that makes me admire it just for that aspect. In my opinion American Gangster delivers in almost every area possible which makes for an engaging, slow-burning and well acted two hours and forty minutes that just flies by. American Gangster promises much and in my opinion delivers in spades.
