American Gangster is an Instant American Classic.

Rating: 10/10 (3 February 2008)

I know we've seen all of this before, rise and fall of the American gangsters, it was done beautifully and seen through the lens of Martin Scorsese in Goodfellas and the lens of Brian De Palma in Scarface, but what's great about American Gangster, is that now we get to look at it through the lens of Ridley Scott, and what a great look it is.
What's great about American Gangster is that it is different to the two movies it has the biggest connections, again, Goodfellas and Scarface. American Gangster manages to stay away from pretty much everything you would expect, and gives you a fresh, new perspective into some very interesting leading characters, Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts, played brilliantly, as one would expect from such greats of greats, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, but more on their performances later.
Ridley Scott has always been an interesting director, and this reviewer has always found his work interesting. I certainly had high expectations with this movie, and though those particular expectations were not met, I was pleased by a whole different film I had no idea I was about to watch.
With a movie like this, I was sort of expecting a fun gangster movie, most gangster movies are fun, we all know that, it was fun to see Joe Pesci be an unpredictable pig of a wise guy, it was fun to watch Al Pacino sprouting all those four letter words, shooting and introducing us to his "little friend". With a gangster movie, you expect that sort of thing, but Ridley Scott gave this material a whole new spin, he turned into a gritty, 70s type drama, with real characters, historically significant circumstances, and a fantastic realistic meets Hollywood approach. It was fun but in a different, unexpected way.
You can definitely feel the touch of the European style of directing that has always made Ridley Scott an interesting director. His direction is sober, straightforward, and rather innovative for the genre, this film does not look like any gangster movie, no operatic feeling like The Godfather, no kitsch like material like in Scarface, and no rhythmic editing and skillful sequence shots like Goodfellas, this is a unique movie in terms of style and narrative.
The story is not about a flashy and dangerously like-able gangster and the "untouchable" goody good cop out to catch him, the story is much deeper, dealing with US involvement in Vietnam, corruption on law enforcement agencies, and the dramas of imperfect men and women caught in all this turmoil.
The cinematography by Harris Savides is very good, the film has a great look, it heathens the gritty scenarios sometimes portrayed in the film with a blurry feeling that enhances the feeling of the movie. The editing by Scott's old ally Pietro Scalia is flawless as one could expect from such a consummated editor, and the subtle attention to detail in the art department is great. Along with a realistic costume design by Janty Yates.
The film is not a biopic of Frank Lucas, or of Richie Roberts, it's about the clashing of these two men, and that could not have been orchestrated better by Scott and Brian Grazer the producer, for getting both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe to meet face to face on an acting duet that slowly, patiently builds up to a great showdown. It can be compared with Michael Mann's crime epic Heat, and it's Pacino/De Niro showdown. Both Denzel and Washington carry the movie with amazing skill, it's a thrill to follow both story lines because of the two actors that carry them, developing the characters into rich, detailed personifications of the real men behind the story.
The supporting cast of numerous familiar faces such as Carla Gugino, Armand Assante, Ted Levine, Joe Morton, Josh Brolin, Ric Young, Cuba Gooding Jr. and the surprising Ruby Dee in an Oscar nominated Supporting Performance, they all make the canvass of the movie feel even richer.
Now, this movie has been played down for not being memorable and exciting as other gangster films, but that detachment from classic gangster movies is what makes it exciting, cause it's not familiar territory, just as Goodfellas was great for being different from The Godfather, American Gangster is great for being different to gangster movies of it's sort, and taking us to new, unexplored territory.
Big congratulations to Ridley Scott for proving he is still a master of the craft, and for the two male leads, Denzel and Crowe, for giving us great performances. This American Gangster is one big American Classic.