Ridley Scott is no Scorsese.

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2008)

Make no mistake, American Gangster is a very well-made, brutal and intense crime epic that covers the span of time under the rule of Frank Lucas, perhaps the first African-American to fully rule the drug underworld of New York City by himself without the support of another family. Still, all I could think while watching this was that it couldn't compare to The Godfather or Goodfellas. I'm sure Ridley Scott, a fine director in his own respect, wasn't trying to make a film comparable to those, but it still feels like the true story was put together in the same those were. The acting here is strong with Denzel Washington giving a calm, cool and calculating performance as Lucas, who perceives himself as more of a businessman than a drug dealer. Russell Crowe is also very good as a straight cop who has a terrible personal life but follows his job exactly by the book. The supporting characters are good and the cinematography perfectly captures the tough, gritty streets of New York and Newark during the 1970s. I did like this as an entertaining film, but in the end, it takes a course so similar to Goodfellas I couldn't believe it. I guess it did have to follow the way the real story occurred to be realistic, but it still copies the outline from a much better film. To be blunt, Ridley Scott is no Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola, and despite all the good stuff from this, I prefer the much more stylistic directing of Scorsese or the powerful storytelling of Coppola.