This film leaves an impact

Rating: 8/10 (11 November 2007)

American Gangster was an interesting film which was never boring even though it was nearly three hours long. THe performances were pretty good as were the surprise acts of violence. I wouldn't consider it a great film, but it is definitely worth seeing if you want to see how drug empires are built.
It is the 1970s, and detective Richie Roberts (Crowe) believes that there is a new Kingpin in town dealing heroin. The new Kingpin is Frank Lucas (Washington), and he has built an empire through payoffs and crooked deals. He quickly moves up in the ranks to become one of the most powerful American crime lords which rivals that of the mafia.
Roberts, and outcast cop in his own precinct because of his complete honesty and belief in the judicial system, works painstakingly to bring the empire of Frank Lucas down. In his efforts he has to deal with plenty of corruption. One man in particular gives him the biggest trouble, and that would be detective Trupo (Brolin in a fine performance) who makes it as difficult for Roberts as he can.
So here we have a battle of wills, and though Roberts and Lucas don't meet until near the end of the movie, each still remains an integral part of the plot. You can't really understand the movie unless you are able to see both men for who they are. It makes the ending even more powerful.
Ridley Scott, as usual, shows that he can still direct. The pacing was fantastic and not once did I think the movie dragged. The only small plot that I had a problem with was Richie and his wife's custody battle over their son. It just didn't seem to fit into this movie for some reason, but the rest of the movie is fantastic. I wouldn't say it was the greatest performance for Crowe or Washington, but what they brought to the table was well above average. I highly recommend this movie because it went into details about how corruption can destroy true justice if given the chance. It gives us a side of life that isn't so pleasant and throws it in our faces. A very good movie.