It literally takes all of thirty seconds to be tossed into the inferno of violence that is “American Gangster.” The 2007 Ridley Scott film, based on real life hoodlum Frank Lucas, manages to tell a dramatic story with the excitement and flare not seen in a biographical piece since “Goodfellas.”
Its Harlem, 1968. While black street gangs like the Crips and the Bloods are well known thuggish entities, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson has crafted a criminal empire that runs the streets and operates with the smoothness and efficiency of the Capone led mafia.
Johnson operates in the fashion of a typical mob boss; fueled with his beliefs that, despite murder and mayhem, he’s doing a good thing for his Harlem neighborhood. “This is the problem.” He lectures his driver and closest confidant Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) to open the movie. “This is what’s wrong with America. It’s gotten so big you just can’t find your way.”
Using the lifelong father like tutelage of Johnson, Frank Lucas takes over the operations of the business with ruthless vengeance and much higher aspirations.
Denzel Washington has forged a career that usually sees him on the right side of the law. Washington demonstrates great range and superior talents in the role of Frank Lucas. Washington plays the smooth and cutthroat villain with a perfection not often duplicated on film. “Half the people in this room owe money. They think I’m gonna forget.” He drops a rhetorical huh? When speaking with associates, rivals, and the law. I absolutely loved his performance in “American Gangster.”
Ridley Scott does a masterful job of paralleling multiple fronts with the story, written by Steven Zaillian, the pen behind “Schindler’s List.” As we watch Frank Lucas embark on an epic heroin smuggling operation, we see news footage embedded within showcasing the ramifications of the Vietnam War and the political creation of the useless War on Drugs.
Opposite Frank Lucas, we see Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) across the river in New Jersey. Like Washington, Crowe is perfect in the role. We see him at his best in a stakeout scene in which his intensity is flawless. Richie Roberts is a too-honest cop that does what it takes to crack the crime, not stricken by the bureaucratic rues and procedures of today (at one point Detective Roberts is shown prying open the trunk of suspects car sans warrant or motive).
Richie Roberts is outcast from Newark for his honesty which sees him blowing the whistle on crooked cops. He is sent to head up a new task force established to combat New York City’s war on drugs, bringing him to battle with Frank Lucas.
A third front follows a group of crooked NYPD cops led by Detective Nick Trupo (Josh Brolin) as they shake down, extort, and blackmail any criminal they can find to excessively pad their paychecks. I hated Brolin in “Labor Day” and “Sin City;” I loved his character in this move.
“American Gangster” has the enviable time period envy, as we witness New York City in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Peace, disco, and drugs blend together under a wave of gaudy fashion choices and absurd though perfect mustaches. One scene depicts Frank Lucas calling a drug contact in Bangkok on a payphone in the street, another scene shows a typewriter slowly printing a letter. Its cinematic perfection.
The cast that supports Washington and Crowe is phenomenal as well. Frank Lucas surrounds himself with the only people he can trust – his brothers, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is outstanding as Huey, with rapper Common doing a surprisingly good job as Turner.
We see the great Armand Assante as Italian family boss Dominic Cattano, a man who deals with Frank Lucas with racial animosity, referring to the chaos of the black criminals on the streets as “every guerilla for himself.” Equally perfect in a sinister way is Lucas’ rivals Tango (Idris Elba) and Nicky (Cuba Gooding Jr.).
“American Gangster” is a great movie on all fronts. It runs a touch long at over 2.5 hours, with Richie’s divorce proceedings serving no purpose and should-have-been- edited scenes, but the story, acting, and setting are perfect. You’ll learn the story of a real life criminal without losing the intensity of a fictitious movie.
by – Matt Christopher
