They sure as hell don’t teach you this stuff in American history class. If Ridley Scott’s new film, American Gangster, is to be believed, then Frank Lucas was one of the most notorious (and ingenious) criminals in modern U.S. history. Morality aside, I came away with what can only be described as admiration for the man. Of course you can’t really separate what he did from the consequences and repercussions of his actions (he was a part of a drug epidemic that brought Harlem, if not NYC to its knees in the 70s), but you have to begrudgingly respect his business acumen.
Denzel does his usual thing playing Frank Lucas. I couldn’t really picture anybody else besides maybe Don Cheadle or Jeffrey Wright playing the role. Don’t get me wrong, I like Washington, but you already know what to expect from him. He’s a superstar and it’s impossible for a superstar to get lost in a role. The audience always sees that guy just beneath the surface. It doesn’t detract from the movie to be fair though.
Russell Crowe gives a good turn as the incorruptible cop set out to bring Frank Lucas down. No scenery chewing, but then I don’t think any could ever accuse Crowe of doing that in any film save maybe A Beautiful Mind. I’ve always dug his performances from L.A. Confidential to The Insider. The rest of the supporting cast ranges from solid to great with special nods to Ruby Dee and Josh Brolin (the former Goonie has had a resurgence of late giving another outstanding performance in No Country For Old Men. Seeing how Sean Astin has made some good films in the recent past, maybe Corey Feldman’s next? Wow…).
I’m usually fairly cool to Ridley Scott’s films. Alien is the only one I love unabashedly. I don’t remember Thelma & Louise or (I’m ashamed to admit this) Bladerunner. I’ll have to add American Gangster to that sparse list. I don’t want to review the film, because I think it has some real pleasures in it that the viewer should just discover on his or her own. I’ll just say the picture is highly recommended. I'll be lining up to see it again when it gets its theatrical wide release November 2nd. I'd love to fly out to L.A. to watch this movie at the Arclight. Why can't they build a Cineramadome here in NY? It's completely unacceptable that the Left Coast should have something we don't. Somebody needs to get on that...
