Classy crime thriller (American Gangster (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	American Gangster (DVD)
Date:	12/09/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Performances and direction

Disadvantages: Quite long

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

American Gangster is an extremely stylish gangster film, and that's hardly any surprise - Scott has had a few duds lately (like A Good Year), but he's also a master of style, as he proved with recent efforts like Matchstick Men. The man knows how to create a mood, and in American Gangster, this is one of his best instances, backed by two towering performances by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

The premise revolves around the war on drugs in 1970s Harlem. Washington plays Frank Lucas, whose ascendancy we observe as his predecessor, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (Clarence Williams III), dies in 1968. From here, Lucas comes up with the rather clever idea of hiding drugs in the coffins of returning soldiers who died in Vietnam. However, opposing him is Newark Police Department detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), who is desperately trying to mount an effort to bring him and the organised crime outfit in Harlem to its knees.

What differentiates Roberts from most of the other police officers is his belief in justice - the majority of the other cops take the bribes, whilst Roberts himself at one point exposes a huge police bribe, and is thus seen as a pariah in the department, as no police will expect him to cover their backs.

What the film harkens to is something better resembling the "golden age" of crime that has all but disappeared today - back then, there wasn't bling or pimps or huge limos for gangsters, but they had a certain respectability, and always took care of those around them, something which Lucas embodies through and through. His family are the most important thing, and when their lives are threatened, he gets absolutely livid.

From its almost sepia tone, to strong direction from Ridley Scott and commanding performances from Denzel and Crowe, this is a fairly unoriginal but thoroughly entertaining slice of crime cinema that really harkens back to the 70s with strength.

Summary: A superb slice of crime