A Great (True) Story, But Falls A Bit Flat On Film

Rating: 5/10 (12 March 2017)

If one were to focus strictly on plot/story when evaluating this film, it would easily receive five stars. Whether it be the U.S. military flying drugs out of Asia, the corruption of U.S. cops, or the almost surreal life of mobster Frank Lucas, all those real-life accounts are riveting, making one question how such things could possibly happen in our great country.
Yet, as portrayed in this film, those stories became quite overextended or overblown, as a result making this film seem like a documentary instead of real life-inspired drama. True, I did watch the Extended Edition, but I am confident that the 18-minute less Theatrical Edition would have improved things only slightly. The film moves along at a snails pace, which while probably necessary in order to portray all the complex emotions of the movie, still may make the viewer feel as though this is a marathon viewing.
Also, the acting in this film is pretty toned down as well. I'm not sure if this was because that was just what the real-life people were like, but either way it was underwhelming. The cool, intense Denzel Washington only comes out in glimpses, which is a shame in a movie that features so much of him. Only Russell Crowe's character shows great character development, and even that is not up to the standards of most dramas.
To conclude, then, this film was likely the best it possibly could have been...but still doesn't translate into compelling drama. The complex drug storyline is very interesting, but the movie's extremely long run time and mellow acting will often make you feel as if you have been watching forever.