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AMERICAN GANGSTER -
(TWO-DISC UNRATED EXTENDED EDITION) |
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| Actors: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, RZA, Cuba Gooding Jr., Armand Assante |
| Director: Ridley Scott |
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Studio: Universal |
| DVD release: 19 February 2008 |
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Runtime: 174 min.
(2 discs) |
| Format: Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled |
| DVD features: Audio tracks (English, 5.1 Dolby Surround; French, 5.1 Dolby Surround), Subtitles (English, Spanish, French), Unrated extended version, Original theatrical version, Deleted scenes, Alternate opening, "Fallen Empire: Making American Gangster," "Case Files" - three in-depth behind-the-scenes segments |
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The gangster flick has a long and storied history in cinema. Martin Scorsese is the master of the genre with his films Goodfellas , Casino , and most recently The Departed. These and other classics such as Brian De Palma's Scarface , the Coen brothers' Miller's Crossing , and let's not forget The Godfather set a very high watermark for a film such as this, and American Gangster answers the challenge with some fine moments.
The movie features two powerhouse performers. Denzel Washington plays Frank Lucas, a man who rises to the top of the drug trade in Harlem in the late '60s and early '70s by importing pure heroin in the coffins of soldiers from Vietnam. He also sells it cheaper (and with a better quality) than his competitors, which becomes a key point in the movie when Lucas discusses "branding".
Russell Crowe portrays honest Jersey cop Ritchie Roberts, who has problems with the job (he and his partner found one million dollars and turned it in, causing massive distrust between him and the other cops) and strife in his family life as well: his wife is divorcing him and wants to take their son across the country to Las Vegas to live. Eventually, Roberts is placed in charge of a federal task force in an effort to halt the flow of drugs into the country.
On top of all the on-screen talent, you have director Ridley Scott (Gladiator , Hannibal , Black Hawk Down ) working from a script by Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List , Awakenings ) based on an article by Mark Jacobson. With all this talent at work, you would think the film would bristle with fire and passion; sadly, it does not. That's not to say it's a bad film. The actors give fine performances (you can add Josh Brolin to that mix) and the film is well crafted, but one expects more cinematic fireworks between Denzel and Crowe; when the characters finally meet, it's anti-climactic. Maybe not the greatest film of its kind, but certainly very good.
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