Creating Worlds

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2007)

The most interesting thing about American Gangster is its dark and moody atmosphere. Ridley Scott is a master at creating worlds, yet he has fallen short, in my opinion, on his most recent projects Kingdom of Heaven and A Good Year. Here, his style is what carries a somewhat formulaic story, one that we've all seen before. Many of the characters are underdeveloped, i.e. Richie Roberts (Russel Crowe), and many scenes that were too short should have been longer. There were also many unnecessary characters and subplots that added to the film's length but added nothing to the story, i.e. Robert's ex-wife. Anyway, getting back to the saving grace of this film, I felt the acting was above par and everything about the film oozed late 60's and early 70's, I strongly believed that what I was watching was a physical moment in history. The costume design and club scenes as well as the references to newly created technology, i.e. the microwave, added to the period feel. Also the structure of the police system and Frank Lucas' (Denzel Washington) rise to power was so interesting that an entire film, at least the majority of this film, could and should have been dedicated to that concept. American Gangster did not blow me away, but it was better than many other films that share its genre. It was also very similar in structure to more influential films like Scarface, as in the rise and fall from grace of a drug lord. 7/10.