AMERICAN GANGSTER
Director: Ridley Scott Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Armand Assante, Ruby Dee, Ted Levine, Cuba Gooding jr, RZA, Jon Polito, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Joe Morton, Lymari Nadal, John Hawkes, Roger Gueneveur Smith, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Carla Gugino
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
American Gangster will probably go straight into the canon of outstanding gangster films.
It is not mythmaking like Coppola’s Godfather trilogy. It is not operatic and rhetorical like the films of Martin Scorsese. Rather, it is a matter-of-fact recounting of the career of Frank Lucas from 1968 to 1975 and the work of a special anti-drugs squad led by Richie Roberts. It tells its story while vividly re-creating the period and using the New York locations effectively. At moments it is almost documentary-like. However, piece by piece, it builds up two portraits, two ways of life, two codes of ethics moving towards an action climax and a justice epilogue.
The screenplay was written by Steven Zaillian and others. Zaillian made a great impact with his ability to fashion a screenplay for Schindler’s List and then for Gangs Of New York (geared to Scorsese’s style). Direction is by Ridley Scott, who always capitalizes on his talent for quick storytelling from his hundreds of commercials. For almost thirty years, Scott has been making popular entertainments but has made classics of science-fiction (Alien), futuristic fables (Blade Runner), feminism (Thelma And Louise), costume epics (Gladiator).
Frank Lucas, from North Carolina, had a deprived childhood and then, in New York became the chauffeur and collector for crime boss, Bumby Johnson. When Johnson died in 1968, Lucas took charge, drawing on his experience and creating a crime empire, an African American empire employing his family, which the Italians and the authorities could not readily believe or accept.
With Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, the character has charm, has learnt urbane ways and has begun to move in New York society. But episodes in the film leave us in no doubt he could be ruthless and cruel. By going to market sources in South East Asia and bribing the military to bring the purest of heroin to the US, he undercut his rivals with quality drugs. He received some protection from the Mafia but was also pursued by corrupt police for their cut of the profits.
With Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, the detective whose private life could be a shambles was, nevertheless, incorruptible and persevering with his squad and finally finding a way to bring Lucas down.
Much of the quite long film (over two and a half hours) is painstaking in its delineation of characters, the steps Lucas took to consolidate his work (including trips to Asia) as well as the careful work of Roberts. The tracing of the growth of imports from Asia, the addictions of many of the American forces and the trade on the streets is also filled in with some detail.
A gallery of top character actors fills out the supporting roles. These include Chiwetel Eijiofor as Huey Lucas, Ruby Dee as Mrs Lucas, Josh Brolin as a corrupt detective, Armand Assante as the Mafia protector, Ted Levine as the officer in charge, Joe Morton as Lucas’s counselor.
Not as violent of verbally assaulting as Scorsese’s films like Goodfellas or The Departed, but it does have its moments, though they are comparatively brief.
Reviewed by MARCUS SINCLAIR
Two movies with a single theme, that being best expressed by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche as the “will to power”, i e the rise by the exceptional man above the common herd. Two movies, so much alike, but treated slightly differently with varying results, both entertaining, both over long, both violent. They paint a bleak picture of our modern society, one being more realistic than the other. The Ancients expressed the situation as homo homini lupus – man is a wolf for man - when they referred to human behaviour within their own polis. Yet for all of our progress with technology, accumulated knowledge, and sophistication it appears that nothing has really changed over the past three thousand or so years. Man is still a wolf for man.
The first of these movies is Ridley Scott’s American Gangster. It is very well made and good to look at due to its classy production values (always a Scott trademark). It deals with the rise and fall of an Afro-American crime boss (played by Denzel Washington) who deals in narcotic importation and distribution. His nemesis is an unconventional Jewish cop (Russell Crowe), who has family problems as well as being outcast by many in the Police department for the simple reason that he always plays it straight.
The emphasis throughout both these films is on success (with both crime and its prevention) due to the closeness of the family/working unit, which offers the boss (whether he be gangster or cop) dependability, protection and avoidance of public scrutiny, especially by the media. Here, unfortunately, comparisons with The Godfather are made, and it is at this point that Scott’s film displays its major weakness. Whereas Coppola spent much time in developing his characters – family members, bent cops and others, in American Gangster they are glossed over and too much time is spent, when dealing with individuals, on irrelevancies that do very little to develop and move the narrative along. Also, Washington is miscast. He is too much of a “nice guy” to be taken seriously as a ruthless criminal, and the scenes where he displays viciousness don’t really convince. Well plotted, well paced, a variety of settings well mounted, together with a fine performance by Crowe make this a good movie rather than a great one.
Whereas. Ridley Scott is a craftsman, albeit a flawed one, James Gray, director of We Own The Night, is barely a journeyman. Similar in theme to American Gangster it too deals with narcotic distribution in New York, only this time round it is being handled by the Russian Mafia. They are vicious. Blood flows, no one is safe, especially the law enforcers who have been assigned to putting an end to their activities. Also, as in Scott’s film, the treatment here is again on family. Father (Robert Duvall) is the Police Chief, Mark Wahlberg his son, a dedicated police officer, and a wayward son, involved in the drug scene, played by Joaquin Phoenix. All turn in solid performances, but they are a bit on mechanical, making one long for a little creative spontaneity. Also, the love sequences involving Phoenix and his girl-friend (Eva Mendes) are unconvincing. They are there mainly for decorative purposes, as are some of the family scenes: Mendes visit home, the “boy” mechanics lounging around.
Though predictable, the story is well paced, but there is a lack of imagination and style on display within the various sequences. Camera angles and movements could be more dramatic to heighten the tension. Scenes and set-ups are often repetitive (perhaps due to budget restraints (?)), but Gray doesn’t have the skill to draw his viewers into the film, thus getting them involved in what is taking place. They are only watchers, even when the excitement begins to mount and the finale is about to reach its climax. Our director needs to spend more time studying the masters – not only the A-graders, but also the Kings of the Bs - especially the latter, for many of them did wonders on a limited budget. Also, American Gangster would have been a suitable starting point.