Better than "The Departed"

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2007)

I watched this movie yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised. Well acted, superbly directed, with a great and convincing story that is also compelling in so many ways. And with something priceless that any movie about organized crime must have if it is to be taken seriously: human characters, with human emotions and unpredictable behaviors, that keep us asking "what's going to happen next?" every 3 minutes.
For all the morons out there who claim the story is stupid, I just have to say that this movie is based on true events, and sometimes reality is way more stupid than fantasy. Say what?! That to even entertain the idea that the greatest criminals of all times employ simple strategies to succeed is absurd? I don't think so. I think that's what really successful people do, from businessmen to politicians, from manufacturers to scientists, excellency is found among those who are able to notice deficiencies in a particular process and to establish the means to compensate or eliminate those deficiencies. And the more elementary those means are, the greater the level of success attained. And by the way, just because one thing is simple, it doesn't mean that finding that thing is also simple: money is simple, love is simple, happiness is simple... but how many of us have them all?
And those who dare to compare Denzel Washington's acting skills with the ones of Leonardo DiCaprio!? Give me a break, Mr. Denzel Washington's performance in "American Gangster" shames the vast majority of American and European actors of all time. And no, I am not black, sorry! That's just the way it is. Same goes to Mr. Russel Crowe, I found his performance in "American Gangster" better than the one he had in "Gladiator".
The problem with this movie is that it dares to be intelligent in a genre that has become too much of a laughing stock. People associate gangster to intense shootings, violent extortions, executions, blood baths... and without all those lovely things (that "American Gangster" also has, but not exclusively) it just isn't the same thing for all the old gangster's lovers out there.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm looking forward to the day when all movies about gangsters are a little bit more like this one, and a little bit less like almost every other gangster movie I've watched before.