Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) is an enforcer for Harlem crime boss "Bumpy" Johnson (Clarence Williams III). Lucas inherits Johnson's empire upon the latter's death, solidifying his chokehold over Harlem's drug trade, even edging out well-established Italian mob. With the NYPD - especially Detective Trupo (Josh Brolin) - hopelessly corrupt, it's up to the newly established DEA, including honest Newark cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), to take Lucas down.
American Gangster is a definite throwback to '70s crime epics. While readily grafting scenarios and style points from a variety of films (Serpico and The French Connection, most obviously), Gangster reassembles familiar scenarios into an entertaining, thoughtful piece of work.
Scott and writer Steve Zaillian craft their story in ironic dualities. Lucas gets ahead by beating the Italian mob at its own game: he's more polished and articulate than his white counterparts, insisting his associates wear business attire rather than ghetto swag. He pioneers his own methods, going straight to Vietnam for product and going over the Mafia's heads. Yet he's still capable of shocking violence, as when he publicly executes a rival.
All gangster movies play on "American Dream" invocations to some extent, and seeing Lucas upstage Italian gansgters and baffle racist cops is perversely satisfying. Yet Scott makes sure to remind us that, for all his posturing, Lucas is still a criminal. Shock cuts of heroin victims and street killings, pointedly contrasted with criminal wealth and splendor, drives this message home.
Gangster explores the parallels between crime and capitalism. When an Italian mobster rants about Harlem's need for "order," he could be echoing Richard Nixon, elsewhere seen declaring the War on Drugs. Scott makes shrewd use of TV footage, contrasting Lucas's crimes with state-sponsored killing in Vietnam. The war provides a cover for Lucas's operation, the latter using a network of US soldiers, South Vietnamese officials and Chinese warlords to obtain pure heroin. Certainly the forces of law aren't inspiring, with Trupo's narcotics squad shaking down gangsters and the Feds clueless.
The protagonists are also sharply compared. Lucas's brutal crimes are sharply contrasted with his ideal private life: he does on his mother (Ruby Dee) and Puerto Rican wife (Lymari Nadal), feeds the neighborhood poor, and finds jobs for his family. Richie's a straight arrow who turns in $1,000,000 worth of drug money, but his messy divorce and womanizing bely his upright posturing. Each man upholds a personal code while repeatedly violating it.
Direction is one area Ridley Scott can always be counted on, and he stages a fabulous recreation of Nixon-era Harlem. Gangster resembles the aforenamed '70s sagas down to the last gritty detail, with a nice period soundtrack (Across 110th Street, anyone?) to boot. The movie is leisurely paced but thoroughly absorbing, Scott allowing story and characters time to develop. The only action scene is a brutal police raid three-quarters in; smaller, well-time bursts of violence otherwise suffice.
Denzel Washington gives a phenomenal performance. Frank Lucas is a fascinating creation, mixing Corleone-style politesse and cunning with the explosive violence of Tommy de Vito. A punk with a violent past (as a kid he witnessed his brother's lynching), he nonetheless reinvents himself as a shrewd, refined businessman. Washington provides both charm and menace, crafting a more complex and interesting character than his Oscar-winning turn in Training Day.
Russell Crowe is good but Richie's easily the lesser protagonist. Josh Brolin is memorably malicious: of his breakout roles in 2007 (No Country for Old Men, In the Valley of Elah) this may be his best. Ruby Dee (The Tall Target) got an Oscar nod for her small but affecting role. Ted Levine (Shutter Island) gets a solid part, and Cuba Gooding Jr. turns in his best performance in ages. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Clarence Williams III, Common and Idris Elba (Thor) are among Frank's associates.
As a final note: both the 157 minute theatrical cut, and a 173 minute extended version are available on video. The extra 15 minutes don't add much. The biggest addition is a coda with Richie meeting Frank outside jail, an awkward, overlong postscript. Stick with the more streamlined theatrical cut.
American Gangster is a well-crafted, entertaining crime saga. If Ridley Scott is going to continue flooding our movie screens, then please let him make solid genre pix instead of overambitious garbage.
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