"Damn it feels good to be a gangsta"

Gangsters are easy to glorify and glamorize. It would also be pretty easy to make a vapid, wanna-be cool gangster film by simply being violent and using badass music. Go peruse the “Action” section at your local Blockbuster and you’ll see dozens of B gangster films all trying to be Goodfellas. Everybody wants to be Goodfellas, but Goodfellas is only Goodfellas because it wasn't trying to be something else. The film tells it’s story, we get to know the chararcters and come to care for them. All the while Scorsese throws his camera flourishes out there and his direction is beautiful, but it never gets in the way of the story. Ridley Scott has done the same with American Gangster.

American Gangster is an extremely involving film about cops, drug dealers and NYC in the 70’s. Clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film feels like 5 minutes- there is no fat on it- everything counts. As usual, I’m not going to go to heavy into plot- one day I may and start putting “SPOLIER WARNINGS” on my “reviews” but not now. The film is based on an article titled “The Return of Superfly” which appeared in New York Magazine back in the summer of 2000. The film and article tell the untold story of Frank Lucas, a low-key man in a high profile world…drug dealing. Lucas enters the world of drug dealing through the backdoor and before Harlem knows what hit it, he has taken over. Poised to take down the drug trade is Richie Roberts, a cop so honest he turns in $1 million dollars in unmarked bills he finds in a drug bust. He’s also studying for the bar exam. These are two smart, determined men, working at opposite ends of the spectrum and you know they are going to collide because two people rising that fast are going to meet along the way.

One of the things Scott does so well is production design. Think about Blade Runner and Black Hawk Down. He’s a visionary. Here he recreates the 70’s so well you don’t even think about. The look and feel of this film is soaked in the 70’s. It’s isn’t just the production design though- it isn’t just the clothes, cars, music, and décor. It’s Vietnam, Ali vs Frazier, police corruption, and the casual mention of the French Connection job. It’s also the clothes, cars, music and décor. This film is about a time and a place and you never for one second even question that.

Both Russell Crowe (Rickie Roberts) and Denzel Washington (Frank Lucas) give terrific performances as one would expect. Crowe's character has much more to him than at first glance- he's flawed, like any human being and while he does right morally at work, he may not do so at home. Also, with the headlines Crowe makes in his personal life (i.e. throwing telephones at hotel clerks or biting people’s ears in bar fights) he brings some raw baggage with him. When you see him charging someone, or getting ready to break a door down to go after a suspect you know this guy is going to kick some fucking ass. Denzel gives a great performance as well. I’m never disappointed with him- he’s always good. He’s calculating here. Quiet. Strong. Ferocious, at times. When he lays down the law you best get out the way. Josh Brolin, who also has the lead in No Country for Old Men has nice supporting turn as a greasy, corruptest of the corrupt, NYC cop.

Ridley Scott is an excellent director- Alien, Blade Runner, Black Rain, Thelma & Louise, White Squall (highly underrated) Gladiator, Hannibal, Black hawk Down, Matchstick Men, and now American Gangster. I haven’t seen Kingdom of Heaven, but I’ve heard the directors cut is the version to watch. That was a huge film. Huge in everyway possible- big battles scenes, cast of thousands, sets, production design…While prepping that film, he made Matchstick Men. Yeah, he made that in the middle of producing a fucking epic. Have you seen Matchstick Men? It’s exceptional. He should do films like that more often. The point is, he’s at the top of his game. And American Gangster is the sum proof of that fact.

Of special note, Harris Savides shot this film. He has been doing exceptional work for awhile and the look he creates here earns a special spot at the top of his already illustrious list. Zodiac being another notable achievement,from earlier this year. He’s shot music videos for Madonna, Michael Jackson and such visionary directors as Mark Romanek and Michael Gondry. Slowly but surely he crept into film work starting with Heaven’s Prisoners and then onto The Game with David Fincher. Beautiful work…