Review of American Gangster (2007) by Chads. — 04 Dec 2007
If "American Gangster" began with Frank Lucas' formative years as "Good Fellas" did with Henry Hill, the filmmaker would be accused of slavish imitation. But "American Gangster" needs to know what makes Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) tick.
Despite the long running time, the story feels rushed. Not enough time is spent between Frank and his mentor. We're denied "the making of a criminal" portion of the film. When Frank assumes the leadership role in Harlem, we feel no palpable excitement.
We don't know him. "American Gangster" gets off to a slow start, but hang in there, things improve considerably when we finally learn where Frank's roots are planted. The film also concurs the long-held belief by conspiracy theorists that drugs could be prevented from entering the country if law officials wanted this to be the case.
But the drug business employs too much people. Frank Lucas is despicable.
This review of American Gangster (2007) was written by Chads. on 04 Dec 2007.
American Gangster has generally received very positive reviews.
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