American Gangster
January 28th 2008 22:45
Scott captures the look and feel of 60s Harlem perfectly, replicating the rundown Brownstone apartments, the hairstyles and fashions, and the cars. It's a wonderful effect, and resonated with me, though I've never been to Harlem in the 60s. I accidentally got off the subway in Harlem back in 2001, and it didn't look anything like this movie.
Frank Lucas is played by Denzel Washington, and it's a compelling, hypnotic performance. There's been a little bit of furor about how "American Gangster" glamorizes the life of this drug lord, one who was not as honourable as shown in the movie. From CNN:
""The picture is 1 percent reality and 99 percent Hollywood," Johnson says. "Frank was illiterate, Frank was vicious, violent. Frank was everything Denzel Washington was not.""
Russell Crowe fills out the other important role, Ritchie Roberts, one of the investigators that put Lucas away. He's meant to be a tough, local New Yorker, but he comes off looking silly, and you almost feel embarrassed that he's skipping between Maximus from "Gladiator" and John Nash from "A Beautiful Mind".
Unfortunately, the movie is a shaky beast at best... clocking in at a hefty 158 minutes, you get the feeling, 3/4 of the way through, that Scott could have got off his chair and cut big sections of the film. Parts seem superfluous, added in to make Lucas seem more human, including a romance that starts up and then is just penciled in the background.
Still, as far as entertainment, this reviewer can watch movies about American gangsters all day long, especially one that treads the new waters of Black Americans at the top of the game. And when Denzel is leading the pack - well! - it's hard not to fall for his sharply crafted lines.
Some reviewers seem to be placing "American Gangster" at the top of their 2007 'Best' list, but I wouldn't be so generous. It's entertainment, certainly, but predictable, and the uneven cast makes it a little painful to sit for the entire duration. You'll end up seeing it regardless, though, since it's probably one of the more enticing offerings at the big cinemas.
Also: If you're like me, you like to do a bit of reading after you see a movie. The closing credits of "American Gangster" noted that the film was inspired by an article called 'The Return of Superfly' by Mark Jacobson. Read it!
I say: Personally, I'd encourage people to see one of the more original films out in Australia at the moment, and wait for this on DVD. I'll probably watch it again on DVD for those great shots of Harlem.
See it for: I like gangster movies, and I like Denzel Washington. The last thing I like about this movie is the scrolling background of beautiful ebony women. It has to be seen to believed, but it also needs to be rewound, then watched again. Mmm, hmmm.
* this image is from IMDb
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Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Good film, but not a classic.
Better than the average but still not a classic.
Ridley Scott directing but still not a classic.
Very good and skilled directing and editing but still not a classic.
The pluses are it is character driven rather than action driven.
The other plus is that no one is totally evil and no one totally good.
However I do judge Ridley Scott hard because I expect more from him. I would judge Copolla harder.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
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Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
The last thing I like about this movie is the scrolling background of beautiful ebony women. It has to be seen to believed, but it also needs to be rewound, then watched again. Mmm, hmmm.
Lymari Nadal was so beautiful I was hypnotized. The movie...not so much
Mis
Comment by Miss Natalie
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I'm a Ridley fan (The Duelists, Alien, Blade Runner) but have been disappointed with a lot of his later work.
Still the premise and style sounds right up my alley but I can't bring myself to watch another over calculated and self conscious performance from Russel Crowe.
Denzel doesn't do much for me as you know....I'm more of a Don Cheadle/Laurence Fishburne kinda guy.
Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
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natalie, I'm not a fan of russell crowe either...
john, I'm not sure you'll like this... I found the background fascinating, and Scott replicates the look of the 60s beautifully, but the film falls short on so many levels.