Excellent crime saga

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2007)

Ridley Scott's best film since Gladiator tells the true-life tale of Frank Lucas, a delegate of the Harlem crime scene who rises to become the biggest importer of the heroine drug in American history. Played brilliantly by Denzel Washington, Lucas is an ambiguous character, one who justifies his heinous business through everlasting love and devotion to his huge family, notably his mother. The film also explores the story of the cop who rigorously fought to bring him down - Ritchie Roberts, an equally impressive performance from Rusell Crowe. Eschewing his typical manly marauding screen presence, Crowe's Roberts is shlubby, awkward and difficult with his corrupt co-workers. The film is both reminiscent and directly referential of the great 70s cop thrillers that inspired it, such as The French Connection and Serpico. Although it never aspires to be on the same level as those films, it does make for a ripping and insightful crime saga.