And he's done it again!

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2008)

When someone knows how to do something, they can do no wrong, and Ridley Scott knows his drill very well, by heart actually. He could do the same thing and fail, but he has the miraculous gift of making really good movies like "American Gangster", which make you pay attention, think and even provide entertainment.
The film shows the rise of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) in the drug-dealing market during the early 70's. He was black and of low profile and making more money than anyone; imagine how the Italian families and the rest of the mob felt. Denzel plays Lucas as a patient listener who listens every advice carefully and always worries about protecting his back, but also is fearless when it comes to take responsibility.
It's a beautiful contrast to watch him giving wise advices one minute and killing someone in the middle of the street the other, and it's even greater to see how his work rises to another level when he works with true authors like Ridley Scott, not his brother Tony. He had fun in Tony's "Man on Fire" but he had a blast and delivered better in Spike Lee's "Inside Man".
Going back to Ridley. It takes a mastermind to do all the tricks in almost three hours. He gives the camera no specific role: Harris Savices' camera sometimes stands watching from a hiding place, other times it's a permanent part of the action; the rest of the time it dedicates to create compositions like a plane passing through the middle of two street signsThat's as close as I come to explaining something that is only wonderful when you see it.
Like seeing Russel Crowe perform; knowing he's played a role so similar in "L.A. Confidential" and that he's the only one able to compose something so different. Knowing that whether with Ron Howard in "A beautiful mind" or with Ridley here, Brian Grazer can always get something spectacular out of the Australian.
And together with Scott he also gets a lot out of the entire ensemble (without counting a truly underused Cuba Gooding Jr): Carla Gugino in a formidably unexpected role, a scary portrayal by Josh Brolin, a joyful turn by Armand Assante, a living proof that if you forget about Chiwetel Ejiofor's performances is because he always seems one more human being, and a scene of incomparable emotion in the hands of a flawless Ruby DeeFeel that one.
High point? Steven Zaillian's script. Low point? Marc Streitenfeld's score, not the soundtrack. The secret of risk? Having Denzel and Crowe in the same movie not putting them on screen together until the very end and not delivering something breathtaking in that moment. That's a great director. The secret of excellent film-making? I'll tell you in some kind of comparison but I won't give names because it's pointless.
In an everyday picture of this type, the bad guy would be a monster and the good guy a heroic martyr. You would only remember their names and know nothing or not care about their families and friend; if the movie provides the characters. There would be a small valid reason for the good guy to start killing; you wouldn't question it and there would be a shooting scene every five minutes, with cars flying through the air and all that.
In "American Gangster", besides the three dimensions of the characters' family and friends, there's only one shooting scene; and when it comes not only a character wants it but we do also. Because we know the character and we know how important it is for him. Read carefully: we weren't asking for a shooting scene; we would have been fine without it but we accept it because a character needs it. Oh, and we enjoy it of course. That's Ridley Scott.