corruption is life

Rating: 7/10 (2 March 2008)

When I started watching "American Gangster", I had no idea what it was about. By the end, I was surprised that I had never heard the story before.
The first character whom we meet is Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), confidante of Harlem gangster extraordinaire Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (Clarence Williams III). Lucas's first scene makes him look like a heartless killer, but we soon see that he does have friends and can be a nice guy. When Johnson dies in 1968, Lucas becomes head honcho in Harlem. But simply being the big cheese isn't enough for this guy. So he starts another business venture: drug trafficking. The ongoing Vietnam War enables Lucas to import heroin from Indochina, and before long he practically runs Harlem. Part of his aim is to stamp out corruption in his inner circle.
Meanwhile Det. Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) has his own stuff going. While going through a divorce, he seeks to bring down Lucas's drug empire, and at the same time dealing with corruption in his own ranks. So here we have these two men mired in slimy settings, both trying to make good. Well, as good as is possible in this sordid world that they inhabit.
For me, the movie's main strength was focusing on this topic. Since I had never known about any of this stuff, any concentration on it will be good. Beyond that, the movie does a pretty good job with its various topics. Granted, the breadth of the focus makes it hard for the movie to delve too deeply into any particular topic, but I felt fulfilled just learning about what happened. No, it's not the greatest movie ever (I consider "Blade Runner" Ridley Scott's best ever). But I would still recommend it. Also starring Ruby Dee.