Professional But Derivative and Dull

Rating: 6/10 (31 October 2007)

If you have seen Serpico, Scarface, and The French Connection, you don't need to see American Gangster. Ridley Scott's new biopic unfortunately shows how a group of stunningly talented craftsmen can create an uninspiring, lackluster, and by-the-numbers piece of cinema. Certainly there are good moments. There is a nice verbal face off between Crowe and Washington (ala HEAT) but its appeal lies more in the power of its stars than in the power of the story. Never is there a moment when I was unaware that I was watching Crowe and Denzel.
The film makes much of the fact that this is a true story about a powerful BLACK gangster whereas other mafia-ish crime stories usually feature Italians. While this may have been an interesting counterpoint, the point is only dealt with in showing that the distinction is irrelevant. Denzel can be just as powerful a crime lord as the rest. So where's the drama?
Crowe's character is yet another, in a long line of movie cops, who is a womanizer and bad father/husband, and yet the most honest cop on the force. This never changes throughout the piece. Where's the drama?
None of this is to say that Scott and company failed at presenting the authenticity of the world and it's characters. The production design is flawless, the characterizations seem to be right on the money, and the music recalls a hipper time. Authenticity, however, does not always translate into dynamic and exciting story telling.
There are no surprises, no real twists, and the inevitable fall of Washington's character and thus his organization, is anti-climactic.
Worth watching if its free.