Not Ridley's best, but still pretty good 8/10

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2007)

I love director Ridley Scott, for his movies blow me away with his creativity and unique movie feats that deliver brilliant stories and top-notched acting such as: Gladiator, Blade Runner, and Black Rain. Since I'm a huge fan of his, surprisingly, I did not like this movie as much as his previous works. Maybe it's because of only seen his major successes. I'm not saying that I don't like "American Gangster" or think that it is a flop; on the contrary, I actually did enjoy it, but not as much as I hoped I would.
The story of the uprising and reign of Frank Lucas was really interested. I am no expert in the history of gangsters nor have I ever heard of Frank Lucas, but the movie really got in deep about his life and how he and his gang got pure heroin, nicknamed "blue magic" into the U.S. from South East Asia and onto the streets of New York City unnoticed by the government or the police for several years. I almost felt like I was getting a historical education on how dealers in the late 1960s and early 1970s got their drugs produced and sold on the streets.
Acting wise, Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe once again prove they are among today's Hollywood finest actors. They shine the screen with their performances as drug dealer and narcotic's detective. It was moving to see how different their character's personalities were, but somehow they were the same. Both were honest in their line of business. Both had violent lives. Both were good at what they did.
They aren't in any scenes together until the end of the movie, which really puts their acting skills to the test as their characters finally confront one another for the shocking climax. Now I don't know if they'll get any Oscars or even the nominations for it (since both already have at least one Oscar at home), but it would be fair enough to give either of them the Golden Globe award for Best Actor.
On a negative side, this movie is no action flick. There are no car chases and there is only one intense shootout at the end of the film. There are some stakeouts, but they aren't action-oriented. I'm not imply that this movie is boring because it lacks the car chases and numerous shootouts, but it did not have many plots going on or have the speed to make it go by quickly like Scorsese's The Departed.
Even though it does not have a boat load of action or an incredibly high body count, nonetheless, Ridley Scott does not shy away from inhumanity. It was violent for me to cringe in a couple of scenes, but it was not as bad as some of other gangster films I have seen. And the foul language wasn't as much as I anticipated. Overall, it was a decent gangster film, but it needed a quicker pace. The two and a half hour film felt longer than three hours for me, and I don't find most movies to be slow. 8/10