Saturday, March 11, 2023

American Gangster

Movie Name:
American Gangster
Year of Release: 2007
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, John Hawkes, Joe Morton, Ruby Dee, Carla Gugino, Run Santiago-Hudson, John Ortiz, RZA, Cuba Gooding Jr., Armand Assante, Yul Vazquez, Lymari Nadal, Idris Elba, Common, T.I., Kevin Corrigan, Jon Polito, KaDee Strickland, Norman Reedus, Roger Bart, Roger Guenveur Smith
Genre: Drama, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review
After a couple of commercial and critical misfires, which included "Kingdom of Heaven" and "A Good Year", director Ridley Scott reunited with Russell Crowe once more, to bring to the screen an adaptation of the article by Mark Jacobson, through the lens of screenwriter Steven Zaillian (who has made a name for himself as the author of high prestige scripts such as Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List", Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" and David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", to name but a few). The film which takes place in 1968 focus its narrative on the life of Frank Lucas, whom we first encounter as the right-hand man of Harlem mob boss Bumpy Johnson. When Johnson dies, Frank quickly enters the drug trafficking business, but starts doing so by bringing the drugs directly from Thailand. He then mixes and sells the product himself, under the brand "Blue Magic". The popularity of his product quickly makes him very rich, and he soon brings his whole family to live with him. In the meantime, in Newark detective and aspiring lawyer Richie Roberts is put in charge of a special task force with the intent of targeting local drug suppliers. As Frank product distribution and wealth increases, the same goes for local rivalries with some other crime bosses, alongside the local authorities buyouts he has to enact. As Richie continues his investigation, he becomes aware of Frank's rising momentum in the crime scene, and gets a chance to learn more about him and his dealings when one of Frank's cousins gets caught in the fallout of a shooting scene. From then on, Richie is on the trail of the origins of the drug movement and how it's eventually making its way to the streets. 
Ridley Scott's features are typically that much more arresting and interesting when the scripts he works with manage to not only illustrate the context in which the narrative will take place, but also when it populates it with fairly interesting and well rounded characters, that are more than simple clichés. His best features, namely "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Thelma and Louise" and "The Martian" are good examples of solid scripts which compliment his visual style, whereas "Legend", "Black Rain", "GI Jane", "Prometheus" and "The Counselor" are just a few examples of features where there isn't a good marriage of his point of view with the material he's working with. In the case of "American Gangster" he benefits from having a solid script, which while not being the most original, in a way latches on to the style Sydney Lumet and William Friedkin illustrated so well in the 1970s ("The French Connection", "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Serpico" being excellent examples). This film in particular, benefits from having two solid actors embodying these central roles, even if what they're given to work with isn't the most riveting perspective. Frank Lucas as a character is given just enough dimension which prevents him from being a typical cliché of a violent criminal, while Richie sadly is reduced to the archetype of the womanizing police officer with some scruples going through a divorce. The supporting cast, while considerable and populated with solid actors, including Josh Brolin and Chiwetel Ejiofor for instance, don't get to stretch much of their abilities (even Ruby Dee who got some attention around Awards season, has a very small role an impact in the narrative). Ultimately, the film while managing to capture New York and New Jersey in the late 60s and early 70s, from a somewhat stylized perspective, lacks at times the brutal and riveting perspective that Sidney Lumet, William Friedkin, and even later on Brian De Palma placed in their films (the unbalanced "Scarface" can be included in this genre as well). In the end, the film is polished and well done, with a solid production crew which includes the brilliant late cinematographer Harris Savides, production design by Arthur Max and costumes by Janty Yates, which makes it an entertaining and compelling view. 

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