American Gangster Review

American Gangster: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, and Ridley Scott bring us the true story of one honest cop and his relentless pursuit of the biggest drug lord in NYC. Crowe plays Richie Roberts, a cop so honest that his peers despise him. Denzel plays Frank Lucas, a drug dealer so well cloaked in his surroundings that he is not even known to the cops. The hunt for Lucas starts in the late 60’s with the Vietnam War as the backdrop. Lucas finds a way to smuggle pure heroin from Southeastern Asia into the United States, allowing him to flood the drug market with the highest grade of product at a cheaper price. Where there is smoke, there is….a crack pipe. With just a little evidence to work with, Richie Roberts begins his investigation to find and bring down Frank Lucas. Both lead actors do a terrific job, considering the talent of the said actors, it is to be expected. I think the thing that surprised me the most was how interesting the story was. I found it to be much more in depth, detailed, and tied into history than past “drug dealer” movies. I also thought that Ridley Scott did an excellent job of showing how the two characters were similar in their own ways. The film itself does lack the eccentricity that makes similar movies such as Goodfellas and The Departed so fun to re-watch. Gangster is more of a “one watch" kind of movie, but that “one” is quite good.
* * * or Grade: B+
If this movie had parents they would be: Scarface & L.A. Confidential

With a running time of 157 minutes

This movie is rated R