American Gangster

by Ari

Ridley Scott has established himself as one of the finest technicians of big-budget, mainstream Hollywood filmmaking. He’s the consummate director, always bringing the necessary professionalism to his films. It’s odd how he switches from something ambitious like Kingdom of Heaven to something inconsequential like A Good Year, but I suppose he prefers to work continuously in order to keep his senses as sharp and precise as they are. The director’s cut of Kingdom of Heaven was his first effortlessly great film in quite some time. His direction was equaled by the material, resulting in one of the finest historical epics in years. Black Hawk Down demonstrated his mastery of constructing visceral tension and brutal set-pieces, but as impressive as it was on a technical level, it wasn’t the most substantial of films.

American Gangster is Scott’s first full-on take on a genre redefined by Martin Scorsese with films like Goodfellas and Casino. And while it’s not as deep or thematic as Scorsese’s work, American Gangster is still one hell of a movie. It’s relentless, it’s powerful, it’s impeccably made and features the most stellar cast of actors I’ve seen all year. It’s a given that Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe will be tremendous. I mean, really, they’re Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe. But in this film you also have Josh Brolin, Armand Assante, Ruby Dee, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Carla Gugino, Jon Polito and Cuba Gooding Jr., among others. Hell, you even have the RZA giving an effective performance in a small supporting role. It would be very difficult to screw things up with that cast.

American Gangster is a straightforward but gripping story of a powerful and influential gangster named Frank Lucas (Washington), who becomes the new Bumpy Johnson in his neighborhood in Harlem and then some. Eventually his empire grows far beyond what anyone would ever come to expect, including rival criminal organizations and the police. The story begins around Bumpy Johnson’s death in the late ‘60s, when Lucas was merely his driver. But he obviously learned from Bumpy, as he did from his father (Clarence Williams III). Lucas creates his empire by smuggling in drugs from a direct source in Bangkok. He transports the heroin through coffins of dead American soldiers from Vietnam and sells it for a low price under the name of “Blue Magic”. The success brings in a fortune. He employs his family to help with the business and cements his reputation with acts of shocking brutality. The opening sequence itself perfectly introduces the violent nature of character. He lights a man on fire and then shoots him a few times. The film never returns to this moment or cares to explain it. It’s beside the point. It serves its purpose by simply and intensely conveying his ruthless tendencies. Another moment like this happens on the streets of Harlem with his family watching. He shoots a man in the head point-blank, and from that moment on there’s no doubting how serious or dangerous he is. Not from family, not from the neighborhood, not from anyone.

On the flip side of things is detective Richie Roberts (Crowe), who creates a very difficult situation for himself by turning in a million dollars found on the job. If you’ve seen Serpico than you know how dangerous this was in the ‘70s. Roberts' fellow policeman refer to him as a “fuckin’ boyscout” since all of them take money illegally. He also has trouble with his ex-wife (Gugino) and an old friend who took the wrong path in life by getting involved with his criminal family. Eventually Roberts organizes his own team to investigate the drug problem on the streets and finds that the issue leads directly to Frank Lucas. The investigation is intercut with Lucas’s rise to power, and the entire thing is thrilling to watch. Things become particularly tense as the two storylines get closer and closer to colliding.

Like Scorsese’s crime films, Ridley Scott never forgets to entertain. American Gangster is briskly paced throughout its 2 hour and 40 minute running time, building and building from one explosive moment to the next. The meticulous recreation of 1970’s New York is as engrossing as the work done in Spielberg’s Munich. It’s not gritty like a real ‘70s crime film, but it’s still atmospheric and incredibly detailed. The costumes, the sets, the music - it’s brilliantly handled. One particularly great moment is a scene that takes place during a fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Production values don’t get much higher than that.

This is one of Ridley Scott’s finest films. Like Ang Lee, this veteran director continues to find new ways to improve his craft. American Gangster is yet another essential 2007 release.