Either you're somebody, or you're nobody

Rating: 8/10 (5 November 2012)

Based on a true story. In the 60's and 70's(completely believably recreated, meticulous as every other aspect of the production, and the music fits period and mood alike), Harlem-resident(and still proud) Frank Lucas(Washington, suave, yet when his temper gets a hold of him, terrifying) wants to take over his late employers drug empire... and expand it, importing heroin directly from the Far East. This chronicles his rise, and gives equal screen time to the attempts of Richie Roberts(Crowe, confident and honest, with a weak spot for his kid) to find(he's smart about hiding what he's doing) and apprehend him. This is gritty and doesn't pull its punches - whilst clearly admiring(even if not condoning) Denzel, it never shies away from showing him break bones and faces, there is racism from both sides(or, er, colors), and some of the cops are shown to also be corrupt. It feels visceral, and is immensely realistic. The pace is fast throughout(and one or two bits have gripping tension), and scenes never go on for too long - heck, a lot of the time, it'll go to a new geographical place, and much of this subverts your expectations(clearly showing how recent it is). Mood is set swiftly, and can change in an instant. The humor works. All of the acting from this ensemble cast is great(create a drinking game, take a shot every time you recognize a talent... or do a trivia-based one, see how many of them you can name), and even with the many characters, not only do they all feel genuine, like they'd exist outside of fiction, you don't have trouble remembering who wants what or why(it juggles them all well). Now, this is clearly done with a love for the subgenre - however, it doesn't quite live up to the likes of Heat, Goodfellas, Godfather and Scarface, and, in fact, feels slightly derivative of those classics, taking at least one event from each(and then not doing it better, only almost as well). There is a lot of strong language, some brutal, graphic, disturbing violence, a little sexuality and full female nudity in this. The DVD comes with an interesting, informational commentary by Ridley Scott and writer Steven Zaillian for the theatrical cut, and both that version and the unrated Director's Cut(that adds 18 minutes, and thus runs 2 hours and 41 minutes sans credits, or 7 and a half minutes more with), which I suggest you go for if you aren't scared off by the running time(don't worry, it keeps you watching) - not that it's short without it(it's not a completely different viewing, it's just even more of a good thing). I recommend this to any fan of biographies, crime-dramas and/or fans of those involved in making it. 8/10