American Gangster
American Gangster is reminiscent of many mafia movies like Serpico and The Godfather. It is based on the true story of Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington who was a drug lord in New York during the 1970s. The movie is quite engrossing and well made but somehow stops short of being a great film in spite of excellent performances by Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, as the honest cop out to bust the drug lord and by Denzel Washington.
Rating: 2.5/5
American Ganster depicts the story of Frank Lucas who becomes a hoodlum upon the death of his mentor Bumpy Johnson. He manages to ship in hundred kilos of pure heroin from Thailand during the Vietnam war in US military planes. He then floods the New York streets with this high quality stuff and makes pots of money by underpricing the competition. Lucas is shown as extremely low profile who dresses smartly, and can be cold-blooded enough kill his opponent when cornered.
Lymari Nadal in American Gangster
The script by Steven Zaillian follows the story of the bad man and the good cop who is undergoing a divorce and studying law when not busting drug cartels. Richie is the very opposite of his peers when he decides to turn in a trunk of contraband and draws the ire of his colleagues as well as Lucas.
Lucas meanwhile spreads his business, ropes in his brothers to handle different aspects of the business and buys a huge mansion for his mother. He deftly handles his rivals like Nicky Barnes well-played by Cuba gooding Jr,and then moves on to get the most ambitious consignment of his life.Meanwhile the NYPD puts Roberts in charge of investigating the liasion between the cops and the drug mafia. This brings Roberts in direct conflict with detective Trupo essayed by Josh Brolin. Brolin as the corrupt cop who has a share in every drug deal, steals the thunder from Washington and Crowe with his brilliant performance.
Denzel Washington in American Gangster
Washington and Crowe have a face off very late in the film when Crowe raids Wahington’s drug factory. This is the highlight of the film where two great actors deliver a solid performance .The scene depicting the high voltage drama is well captured by the director Ridley Scott.
Of the cast, Washington’s performance lacks the grittiness expected of him in this role.But still, he portrays the complex character of Lucas well.Crowe is a great actor, but miscast as a honest to good cop. Crowe is powerful against Washington , but there is no meat in his role.Ridley Scott does his best to put across a true to life portrayal of a druglord but misses on the finer details expected of a true story.
Russell Crowe in American Gangster
In nutshell, the American Gangster has big stars, an ace director and great talent, but stops short of being a cult film.
Rating: 2.5/5
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