The Godfather in Harlem - Brilliant Film if Occasionally Hard to Follow

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2007)

Denzel Washington does not play simpletons. His characters are complex mosaics layered with deep passions, personal convictions, and polarizing contradictions. Sometimes moral, occasionally hypocritical, these characters mesmerize you to the point where the cloak you see is the character and not the actor, which is of course the point. If there is anything that could be said of Washington's roles, they deal with the human condition at a raw naked level. As Frank Lucas, Washington steps into the shoes of an African-American Godfather and shows he can play almost anything brought before him. He probably deserves the Oscar for every one of his performances. Problem is, they can only give one a year.
Frank Lucas is the most unlikely of crime bosses, or so went the stereotype of the mid-20th century that propagated that only Italians and/or Irish could mastermind such complex money-making schemes. And Lucas is also discounted because he was the chauffeur of an Italian godfather for years. How could the hired help even dream, let alone instigate, such a plan? But what others didn't know is that day after day, his employer was also his mentor, teaching Lucas the finer points of maintaining a crime organization. And when his employer dies, Lucas takes these teachings and realizes them.
Lucas knows if there is demand for a product and/or service, even if illegal, there will be buyers. And they will pay a premium if supply is low and demand is high. And he also knows competition is inevitable. However, if he delivers a better product cheaper without compromising his profit, he could lure more customers away from his competition. And that's what Lucas does. By buying heroine and cocaine wholesale direct from war-ravaged Vietnam, he can cut out many-a middle man and sell better quality merchandise for less than the other mob bosses who are selling an inferior grade for more. Of course, it also means having a contact in Vietnam and paying off certain branches of law enforcement. And it also frustrates his competition who happen to be other mafia organizations. In the long run, it pays off as Lucas makes more dough than Texas oil magnates. But the catch is that it leads to bribery and killing.
His nemesis, unknown to him for most of the movie, is Richie Roberts, a moral if obsessed cop, played equally brilliantly by Russell Crowe, who is trying to piece together the puzzle. As head of an undercover narcotics division in New York, he knows the dope is being delivered and sold, but he can't figure out who is running the show. The name and face of Frank Lucas surfaces but is tentatively discounted. A recurring theme throughout the movie is the assumption that Lucas must be working for someone higher up, which becomes a stumbling block. No one on the force can imagine that an African-American is a drug kingpin.
The two stories run parallel, the investigation by Crowe and the story of Washington as the crime boss, moving toward the climax in which both stories collide. The plot is intricate and complex, and sometimes I wished the film would slow just a little bit to allow us to catch our breath so we could understand all the intricacies. Sometimes the hints are so subtle that it was hard to figure out all the threads. One sub-story involves Roberts' wife who files for divorce, which I thought was more of a distraction and didn't really relate to much else in the film. Instead, I wanted to hear more about the investigation. Still, an incredible movie, and again an Oscar-caliber performance by Denzel Washington.