ridley scott's best film in years?

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2008)

Finally got round to seeing this. While it's not Goodfellas (what is after all!) and it's not Scarface, 'American Gangster' is never anything less than thoroughly involving. Denzel chews up the scenery like you haven't seen since 'Training Day' and I would not be at all surprised if he walks off with the Oscar again next year. He conveys the ambition and ruthlessness of Frank Lucas effortlessly but we are never truly repulsed by him since many of those around him are worse (stand up Cuba Gooding Junior and a very scary Josh Brolin).
On the one hand he provides his extended family with a way out of extreme poverty, on the other he draws them (Mafia style) into his burgeoning organised crime network. But success does not always bring happiness and Frank is soon racked by self-doubt. Russell Crowe is close to his best (and maybe biggest) as the one good cop in pursuit of Denzel - the final showdown between the two is a highlight. Also look out for Brits Idris Elba and Chiwetel Ejiofor offering solid support.
Production design is top notch creating a vivid sense of place and period as you'd expect from the director who gave us the genius of 'Blade Runner' and 'Alien'. Ridley Scott juggles the various story strands with aplomb so that the film has a truly epic feel - while the Frank Lucas stuff is drawn from real events I heard they beefed up the Russell Crowe part. Plus you are left wanting more in that a lot of interesting stuff seems to have happened outside of the story told in the film.
An intelligent, adult but nevertheless entertaining mainstream Hollywood film (yes all those words can sometimes fit into the same sentence!) - highly recommended.