Very Well Done

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2008)

American Gangster is a very well done gangster/cop movie. Denzel Washington plays Frank Lucas who rises up to be a dominant gangster in the Brooklyn/New York area. He has his brothers work for him and makes his money off of selling pure drugs.
Russell Crowe plays an honest cop who heads up an anti narcotics division led by his boss (Ted Levine, Silence of the Lambs). Crowe, along with members of the crew, are tracking down the big men of the drug world, and soon find themselves on Frank Lucas's tail.
The acting is top notch. Denzel Washington makes a very nasty, but yet likable gangster and Crowe makes a a good, honest cop with a bad home life. Also notable is Josh Brolin. He doesn't come in much until about an hour after the film has been rolling, but he makes a very believable dirty cop out to make money by selling drugs that he confiscates back to gangsters after cutting them down to hardly any purity.
The movie is long, complex and sometimes hard to follow, yet it is worth a watch, or two, or more. Its acting is perfect and its very interesting. Note that it is not an action movie. There is some action, but if that's what you want, watch something else. This film is a drama.