"American Gangster"; fitting name

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2007)

Crime-drama/gangster movies generally fare well (The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Departed, etc.). American Gangster continues that streak. It follows the rise and fall of a black family crime empire, headed by Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington). Lucas is successful because he imports drugs directly from Vietnam, resulting in a stronger dose for lower price. The real hurdle is met when a detective, Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe) pursues a lead to bring down the empire. The plot starts off slow, following the distinct daily lives of Lucas and Roberts. After the first hour or so of setting things up, everything comes together to form a compelling story. The last hour is extremely high quality across the board.
The direction from Ridley Scott is as expected: clean and elegant. The acting from Washington and Crowe is also as expected: powerful and believable. These two factors are the key to what makes American Gangster so good. It reminded me in several ways of The Departed: the first hour sets up and develops the characters, while the rest is a beautiful clue hunt and battle of smarts. The whole thing is unpredictable but flows in a logical way. One thing that I especially liked was the Vietnam War reflections. Throughout the film, there are snippets of television news programs that reveal the breakdown of the war. It effectively parallels the growth and decay of Lucas's drug empire. The drug production sets were realistic and effective. While most of the movie revolves around the drama aspects of crime, there were some fantastic action sequences.
In the end, I was left with plenty of material to think about. There are interesting points about the drug empire and moral questions that arise from the conclusion. The main message is not hidden; it is expressed explicitly in a dialog between the two characters toward the end. Ultimately, I was left satisfied. One of the best movies of the year, so don't miss it.