Review of American Gangster (2007) by Wesley M — 25 Mar 2012

This is an overall impressive film in every respect until it hits an uneven patch with a lackluster finale. Its strange that the film spends two hours building up Frank Lucas as an unrepentant yet principled monster then in the span of about 15 minutes attempts to humanize him with a 180 degree turn that really should have been eased into. There's a similar jarring shift with Richie Roberts who goes from a meek but persistent cop to an almost supernaturally competent lawman who single-handedly (well, okay with a lot of help from Lucas) brings down the New York Drug trade and the corrupt law enforcement system along with it. This may be a means of staying true to the story, and this may be the result of executive meddling to create a more marketable product, but either ways its the most glaring problem with any otherwise incredible cinematic experience.

Both Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) and RIchie Roberts (Russel Crowe) have strong narratives to drive the plot forward and they actually don't intertwine very much until after the halfway mark. The film spends a lot of time developing their back stories and motivations before setting them against each other and then, ultimately, alongside each other. As mentioned, their personalities seem to shift abruptly when they come face to face. Had there been hints at this scattered throughout the movie, it might have made more sense. As it were, they set it up for a dramatic confrontation between the two and while we certainly do get one, the conflict dissipates fairly quickly and the tension that has been expertly maintained for two hours dissipates with little fanfare. Its not an anticlimax per se, but its still a bit of a letdown that may thwart some viewers' expectations. It has all the earmarks of a classic crime drama but it sort of cops out when it comes time to bring it all to a head.

But don't get me wrong, everything else in the film is solid. Washington and Crowe easily carry their roles off, but Crowe doesn't get as much room to stretch his chops. A couple emotional scenes but nothing to challenging. His strength is in how naturally he inhabits the skin of Richie Roberts, and grants him an air of humanity and fallibility which makes him quite empathetic, but also conveys his determination to be an honest cop while surrounded by dishonesty and disrepute. The plot plays out very well and naturally develops a fairly complex set of plotlines that play well together and resolve pretty smoothly for the most part. I also like the very 70's flavor that is sets the backdrop with period-correct cameos and events unfolding that are even plot-relevant and keep the movie grounded soundly in believability.

I'm also thankful that the movie avoided blatant racial overtones. While they do have their place in other films in this case they would have hijacked the film and obscured the other themes that define it. There is the necessary undercurrent present, but each of these characters is standing on their own actions and should be judged on their own merits, likewise for their actors.

All in all, with a little more work and a lot more stylism (and maybe a better sound track) this film MIGHT have been able to measure up on terms with films like the Godfather and Goodfellas. As it stands, it outclasses fare like Scarface but just can't hold it together to reach the ranks of other classics. Nonetheless, if you enjoy gangster dramas there is no way you can skip this one.

I'm also thankful that.