"Gangster" hands out the good stuff

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2007)

"Anerican Gangster", the new Ridley Scott film about 70's drug titan Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) and the rogue cop Richie Roberts(Russell Crowe) who tried to put him behind bars, is a strange phenomena. It is, in different respects, one of the years greatest sucesses and most devastating disappointments. Let's start with the triumphs-the actors are dynamite. Viewers who want to see great thespians do their thing are in for a big treat here. Denzel is a fiery wonder as Lucas, and Crowe deserves a lot more appreciation than he's getting for his quieter, more tortured performance as a cop who has nothing left but the job. Even the supporting cast, be they infamous flop-makers like Cuba Gooding, Jr, or renowned character actors such as Armand Assante, turn in superb, note perfect performances. And Ruby Dee steals the movie as Lucas's elderly, principled mother. Behind the scenes, no expense is spared. The New York streets look delicilously ratty, the period music is catchy, and the cinematography brings a great clarity to the ups and downs of gangster life. The biggest disappointment is in the script. Steve Zaillian has written an epic, almost 3-hour script, but it comes down to a lot of "and then this happens..oh, and next...". Almost no character insight is given, no significant action driven by anything other than the desire to make money. And the build-up is agonizingly slow. "Gangster" has some classic scenes, but none of them can be attribute to the script, nor to Scott's clunky direction (I won't start on my personal opinions of this director). Still, definitely worth a look-when Crowe and Washington clash, you get the best-acted moment in movies since "Heat"'s coffeeshop scene.