American Gangster review

Ridley Scott has made some of the best and most influential movies ever made. He's one of our best modern directors. Alien, Blade Runner, Legend, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down- all stellar motion pictures. His last fewefforts(Matchstick Men, Kingdom of Heaven, The Good Year) left something to be desired, but has his new film American Gangster put him back in the spotlight as a legitimate director?

Yes, yes it has.

The film, set in early 70s New York at the tail of the Vietnam War, follows Frank Lucas(Denzel Washington) as he rises through the ranks and becomes the drug-running king of Harlem and the major crime boss in all of New York City. Honest-but-outcast cop Richie Roberts(Russel Crowe) is hired to help take him down.

I'll start out by complementing the film's greatest strength- the chemistry and acting between the stellar ensemble cast. crowe and Washington are fantastic as they almost always are. Josh Brolin, Ruby Dee, Carla Gugino, and Cuba Gooding Jr. all give great performances even though their parts aren't as big or important as Crowe's and Washington's. They all work fantastically together to bring to life this story.

The story isn't completely and totally original, but it is very solid and is fleshed out quite nicely. The film has a nice subtext about the role family plays and how important honesty is.

The film is..."dirty", I guess. There's a lot of violence, language, drugs, and nudity. This adds to the film's real-life feel. It's inspired by a true story, but I'm not letting that weigh any towards my rating of the film because they take a lot of liberty with the material. It's a film, so that's expected, but I'm not letting the "real life cool factor" seep its way in.

The cinematography and music are fitting, but not absolutely amazing.

Overall, the film doesn't have any glaring flaws or mistakes. It's gritty, highly entertaining, and wonderfully paced. It's 158 minutes long, but it doesn't once feel like a chore or a bore. It's thoroughly engrossing. It deserves its critical praise and Oscar nominations, and maybe more.

93/100