Film Review: Prepare to root for the ‘Gangster’
Photo from movieweb.com
In “American Gangster,” Academy Award winner Denzel Washington plays a ruthless mobster, who is just as hard to hate as his do-gooder characters in “Remember the Titans” and “Man on Fire.”
In “American Gangster,” based on a true story, Washington (“Déjà Vu”) delivers a hard-hitting performance as Frank Lucas, a ruthless heroin dealer smuggling the drug into the United States via military planes during the Vietnam War. Street-smart detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe, “3:10 to Yuma”) tails Lucas, suspecting a rise of black power on the streets of Harlem.
As an aspiring crime boss, Washington shows his hardest side yet in his portrayal of Lucas. In one particular scene, Lucas shoots a man point-blank between the eyes in the middle of a busy sidewalk, only to return back to breakfast, casually asking, “Now what was I talking about?” Washington pulls off the seething villain well and this break from his usual do-gooder characters is a true test of his acting abilities.
Opposite Washington is Crowe, who unfortunately delivers one of his flattest performances ever. His character is a believable adversary to Lucas, but Crowe brings nothing special to the screen opposite the dynamic character that Washington plays.
Apart from Washington and Crowe, director Ridley Scott has effectively captured the gritty and messy era of the Vietnam War. He parallels the war waged in southeast Asia with the war raged on the streets of Harlem.
This comes at a price, however, as the movie feels over-sensationalized at times. Since the real Frank Lucas was never charged for murder, “American Gangster” leaves the audience wondering if this really did happen or if Hollywood is having a bit of fun for the sake of action.
Either way, you get to see Washington in a mink fur pimp suit and hat.
“American Gangster” is a non-stop action crime drama, but this time, get ready to root for the bad guy.
‘American Gangster’
Release Date: Nov. 2
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin
Genre: Crime Drama
Rating: R for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality
Grade: A
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 12:26 am and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, Film Reviews.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Print this post
Email this post© 2008 The Nevada Sagebrush
