American Gangster Review [2]
Posted by Jacob Ziegler on 11.05.2007
Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington square off!
AMERICAN GANGSTER
/// November 2, 2007
Frank Lucas: Denzel Washington
Det. Richie Roberts: Russell Crowe
Huey Lucas: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Nicky Barnes: Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Det. Trupo: Josh Brolin
Lou Toback: Ted Levine
Dominic Cattano: Armand Assante
Javier Rivera: John Ortiz
Freddie Spearman: John Hawkes
Moses Jones: RZA
Mama Lucas: Ruby Dee
Turner Lucas: Common
Universal presents a film directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Steve Zaillian. Running time: 157 minutes. Rated R for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality.
BY JACOB ZIEGLER
They say the third time is a charm, and for the director-actor combination of Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, that has been proven true with “American Gangster,” a deeply engrossing film that is sure to be a big-time Oscar contender in many categories.
The first Scott-Crowe collaborations was the overdone and overrated “Gladiator,” which somehow managed to snag the Best Picture Oscar, as well as one for Crowe, who had been overlooked for both “L.A. Confidential” and “The Insider.” They reunited last year for “A Good Year,” which was nicely photographed but duller than dishwater. “Gangster” brings out the best in both men, and Crowe each could receive their fourth Oscar nomination in their respective categories.
The story is about two men on opposite sides of the law, and right up until the end, on opposite sides of the movie. Fellow Oscar winner Denzel Washington plays Frank Lucas, a Harlem mobster who starts off as a driver and bodyguard for an old school gangster named Bumpy Johnson. He decides to take control of the heroin market, and has a pretty grand plan for doing so: he wants to cut out the middle man.
Lucas finds a source in Southeast Asia that will give him pure, uncut heroin. He calls it Blue Magic, and he can sell it for a greater profit than anyone else can. He doesn’t care what anyone else thinks, particularly fellow dealer Nicky Barnes (a thankfully brief role from Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and is prone to violent outbursts when opposed. One of his right hand men is his brother Huey, played by rising star Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Dirty Pretty Things,” “Kinky Boots”).
Washington plays the role with his usual competency and charisma, but there doesn’t seem to be any depth to his work. It’s not unlike most of his performances, really. It would have been much more interesting to see Ejiofor take the part and perhaps finally get that breakthrough role that’s going to make his difficult to pronounce name a household one.
Crowe plays Detective Richie Roberts, famous for once finding $987,000 in the trunk of a car and turning it over to his bosses. That kind of honesty doesn’t exactly transfer over to his relationship with his ex-wife Laura (Carla Gugino). Crowe’s character is given less time to develop than Washington’s, which is a shame since I was much more attached to Roberts than I was to Lucas. Crowe gives his usual amazing performance, and his second in less than two months after “3:10 to Yuma.” For some reason Universal is positioning Crowe for a Best Supporting Actor nomination rather than as a lead. They’re also claiming the screenplay as original, despite the fact that it is very much based on Mark Jacobson’s “The Return of Superfly” article in New York magazine. I guess that’s the game.
One minor issue with “Gangster” is that Crowe and Washington are kept apart until nearly the end of the film. The screenplay by Zaillian and the direction of Scott keep the film moving along at a swift pace; the two hour and thirty-seven minute running time basically flies by. Of course I think the film would have been better had Ejiofor been in Washington’s place anyway; but it reminded me of Michael Mann’s “Heat,” in which Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were pushed as appearing together, and actually had very little screen time together. Well, those who want to see more of Crowe and Washington should check out “Virtuosity.”
The 411: “American Gangster” is an engaging and absorbing film that will surely contend for a multitude of Oscars this year. Crowe really stands out and Washington is no slouch, and the supporting cast of Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, Armand Assante, and RZA among others (just not Cuba) does a fine job. Scott and Crowe have finally pulled off a collaboration worthy of their talents, and it reaffirmed that Crowe is truly the best in the business.
