Nowhere Close To a Classic Gangster Flick

Rating: 4/10 (19 January 2009)

For those who are looking for a equally compelling gangster movie like "Goodfellas" or "Donnie Brasco", well keep looking, because "American Gangster" simply doesn't fit the bill. It's like buying a new car, that looks great on the outside and everything looks like it's in tact. Then when you start, the motor, smoke comes pouring out, the tires become flat, and eventually, the engine dies out. That's how I felt about this movie. The critics hyped about how wonderful this movie is, only to end up with a bag full of nothing.
My dismay is in so many locations, I don't know where to start. Right off the band wagon, it was a bad idea from the beginning to let Ridley Scott take the director's seat for this project. His storytelling abilities truly leaves much for him to be desired. A story of this high level should have been handled more carefully,pulling away no stops, with a superb cast of talented performers, this movie had potential to up there with "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas".
Within the parameters of "American Gangster",there are several hooks and angles in the real story, the creative team sorely neglected. For example, Frank Thomas (Denzel Washington) was completely illiterate that even counting seemed foreign to him. Pretty good for a man who has a fortune of over $250 billion. And his way of counting was by scales. So let me ask you, why did Lucas sport a calculator?
The relationship between Lucas and his accomplice Bumpy Johnson goes on without any reference. Johnson was one of Harlem's most infamous and well-known residents. Lucas shared an alliance with Johnson for a span of almost 15 years as a loyal and dedicated friend. Johnson was like a second father to Lucas. Other stuff that was ignored includes Lucas' upbringing or how he hired a hit-man to take one of his brother's out. Other side stories that were neglected include his young cousin killed by the KKK or his transition from a petty thug, to a powerful drug-lord. Or even the era when there was time when Harlem was a city you were proud to call home, only to see it crumble under his wing with fear and terror.It was during the 1960's and 1970's that the city of Harlem took a turn for the worst which had potential to be a compelling story. But thanks to the carelessness of the crew, we never get to see the whole picture.
These stories plus others should have been there and I hold blame to producer Brain Glazer for not including these stories that I aforementioned. It left me lost in the dark without a clue. It's obvious that no research was done before the filming commenced. I was also appalled that such a talented performer like Cuba Gooding Jr. as the infamous drug lord Nicky Barnes be demoted to just a semi-cameo performance. But he's not the only one who's been let down here. The cast had a strong talent pool and yet they ended up playing mostly watered down performances. No blame to the actors, but to the crew behind this madness. I think the handling of this movie would have been better if Martin Scorsese or Spike Lee took over the directors seat. Then I would have seen potential.
Overall this film was far too patted to be a riveting film. The motives behind the crew was that the movie was destined to keep you entertained rather than tracing the story based on fact. The key to great film is sitting at the dinner table with friends and family discussing it with those surrounding you. After this movie was over, my friends and I had nothing to say, because this movie offers just that, absolutely nothing.