Great, but its the same schtick

Rating: 5/10 (3 February 2008)

Like "Million Dollar Baby," Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" is a movie that seems to have been completely constructed to show up at Oscar time. Don't get me wrong, both movies are well done, gritty, and well-acted. The problem is...it's still more of the same.
We've seen this movie before. A criminal who is a criminal, despite the fact that he's portrayed with anti-hero sympathy. There's the story of the cop who's trying to catch him, but asking himself why he's doing it at the same time, which runs parallel to the criminal story. Of course, the two main characters don't meet until the end, which is intended to be they climax of the film. Yeah, yeah, we get the picture.
I'm guessing the studio is betting on the sad but true fact that the majority of America defines "The Matrix" as a film classic, and has never had any desire to watch any movie made before 1990. The people who fit this description are going to think this is a brilliant movie and may demand it get a ton of Oscars, blah blah blah. But for people with a wider range of film tastes and experiences will recognize that they've seen this movie before. MANY times.
I like Denzel Washington. He's a great actor. But here, he is the exact same person he's always been. It's a good performance, but it's uncannily similar to his other high powered performances, such as "Training Day." I can't say the same about Russell Crowe. He's had some good performances, but to be honest I think he's really over-hyped. "American Gangster" certainly isn't going to change my opinion.
See it if you want. Just don't expect the "American classic" some people make it out to be.