One of the best films of the year; although not groundbreaking for its genre.

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2007)

It's pretty interesting hearing the overall consensus on American Gangster. Either you love it or hate it. I don't know how it can be so clear cut but whatever. American Gangster is a very well executed film; the acting and directing is first-class. The hype around this film ultimately hurt it however, it was really billed as a 'modern day Godfather'. I doubt very highly that that was the aim of the movie makers here.American Gangster is nothing like that. Nothing new is done here as far as the crime genre is concerned, it's just so BRILLIANT in its execution.
Acting
If there was any doubt as to Denzel's acting ability and prowess, there shouldn't be after his performance here. Hell, there shouldn't have been any doubt after Malcolm X, and that was 15 years ago! He and Morgan Freeman have a similar presence on screen; he is simply a master and commands respect and attention. There's nothing else for me to say about him, he carried the film. Russell Crowe was very good as well. His character's story is not liked very much, but I for one liked his story. From his character dealing with corruption to the issues with his wife; I liked seeing not only Frank Lucas come up in the drug world, but Richie Roberts (Crowe) come up in the 'cop world'. Crowe's character added a good balance to Denzel's powerful performance; and I felt the two sides of the story came together very nicely. As far as the supporting cast, Ruby Dee..not exactly a role that really pushed her to the limits, but she hit it on the head with great subtlety. Arguably the best supporting actor in the film, in my eyes, was RZA. He really showed that he's dedicated to making it in the movie industry in more ways than one (movie scoring & acting); and he REALLY came through here. It was ironic seeing him play a cop, but he did it very well.his 'junkie' scene near the end was classic. T.I. & Common were decent as well, but they really didn't have much to do; RZA had the biggest role out of all of them, and out-shined them all. I'm not a fan of Cuba Gooding Jr., and I must admit I was surprised seeing him here, but he was good as Nicky Barnes. His one (well, only) scene with Denzel was a sight to see; it's a great scene; right up there with Denzel & Crowe in the end. Armand Assante was a welcomed sight as the Don, I've always liked him as a character actor, and he does mob guys flawlessly. Josh Brolin was wonderful as the corrupt detective; he was as creepy as Matt Dillon in "Crash".
Direction
You can see Ridley Scott's influence throughout this movie. There's such a sense of control, pace and outright direction throughout. From the set pieces to the camera shots and how the story is presented, there's a very mature look and feel to the movie. This is one of the classier crime films, reminiscent of Michael Mann's touch in "Heat". There's still a grittiness to it, which again is telling of Scott's direction.
Story
With the public being bombarded with the 'real story' behind Frank Lucas on various documentaries on television in the days and weeks leading up to the film's release, this also hurt the film. There are reports that Lucas himself said that the film is 60% accurate, and if you saw the documentaries on Lucas before seeing this film, naturally you would be disappointed somewhat, because everything wouldn't add up. I am fortunate that I didn't see all of the extra features on television, no doubt done to further hype the movie which it REALLY didn't need. People have to remember that this is BASED on a true story. This is a movie, NOT a documentary. The more people realize that, the better.
Hype
The hype machine for American Gangster was too much in my opinion; and ultimately took away from the film. I will admit that I came away with slight disappointment when the end credits started rolling. There was such a craze and hype surrounding the film that you couldn't help but expect a "next Godfather/Goodfellas/Casino/Scarface" type of filma cult classic of sorts that's so grand in stature that you had no doubt that it would indeed be an addition to that list of genre-defining, pioneering gangster films that we all love. It falls short of that, which is why feeling a little disappointment afterwards is almost inevitable. There is nothing new here; nothing innovative, nothing genre-defining (or RE-defining for that matter). No 'extremely realistic shootout scene' as featured in "Heat", or "quotable-laden, cocaine filled shootouts" as featured in "Scarface". No characters as memorable and legendary as featured in "Godfather", "Scarface" or "Goodfellas". Denzel's Frank Lucas comes damn close (because he's THAT good), but I don't think it quite reaches that status. There is nothing in American Gangster that REALLY stands out in that way.
I would say, however, that as far as black gangster films go, it may very well be THE best ever made to date. With its sheer brilliance in its execution, acting, directing, storytelling, maturity and class; I could say with confidence that it is. And that, in and of itself, makes it one of the best movies of the year hands down (I see at least 3 Oscar noms here), if not one of the best of the new millennium.
8.5/10