American Gangster
WHY I BOUGHT IT
Spoilers for American Gangster to follow.
American Gangster tells the true story of the rise and fall of Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, a Harlem gangster who establishes himself as the number one importer of heroine in Harlem in the early 1970s and the detective who not only brought him down but also befriended him after putting him in prison and helped him fight for a reduced sentence, as played by Russell Crowe.
For a film that came out in 2007 and features the likes of RZA, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Ruby Dee, Carla Gugino, John Hawkes, Ted Levine, Common and a seemingly never ending cast of “Oh shit, they’re in this?!” and not to mention that Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator) directed the damn thing, it sure does seem like American Gangster gets slept on.
Having said that, I will be the first to admit that no, it’s not a classic of the crime epic genre, but it’s still a damn entertaining true story buoyed by the excellent performances of the two leads that deserves more love than it gets.
The film opens with Washington lighting a man on fire (!) in an alley with absolutely zero hesitation or remorse. He is the American Gangster.
It should come as no surprise that Washington is completely captivating here. It was only 6 years prior when he won the Oscar for his iconic turn in Training Day, another villainous performance from the actor. Thankfully, he doesn’t repeat himself in American Gangster. For Training Day, Washington swings for the fences and goes big, but here he plays it calm, cool and collected, making his Frank Lucas all the more unpredictable. One minute he could be handing out turkeys on Thanksgiving and the next he could be shooting someone down in front of the entire neighborhood in the middle of the day without breaking a sweat. Washington is one of our most watchable actors, always giving it his all, always present, and his work here is no exception.
But folks, let me tell you, Russell Crowe is really, really good here. Not only does Crowe bring that physicality he is so well known for (his character Richie Roberts can knock out criminals like the best of them) but he also makes Roberts a smart and kind human who is really just trying to do the right thing by the law (while somehow failing his ex-wife and son at every turn). It’s an incredibly sympathetic performance from Crowe, and it actually makes me want to revisit Cinderella Man, another role where Crowe uses that intimidating physicality and meshes it with heart and empathy. Or shit, even The Nice Guys is another example of this great actor punching guys very well while having excellent comedic chemistry with his co-star, Ryan Gosling.
Maybe I should start watching more Russell Crowe movies? The Quick and The Dead, 3:10 to Yuma, L.A. Confidential. Dude has some gems.
Anyway, I love Tough Good Guy Crowe and American Gangster is a great showcase for him.
I say again, American Gangster is by no means a high ranking classic in the crime genre, but it is a rock solid and entertaining true story filled with excellent performances and stylish filmmaking from the legend that is Ridley Scott.
Why did I buy it though? Truthfully, I bought it because Crowe really is that good in the movie. This rewatch is really making me want to go down a Crowe hole and bask in his best performances. I feel like he has become a bit of a parody lately (Unhinged rules, ya goofs), but it’s clear he can still bring it when motivated.
Finally, for those wondering, yes, I also love Denzel and Russell’s first film together, Virtuosity. In it, Crowe plays a rogue A.I. who escapes the internet and wreaks havoc in futuristic L.A. and Washington is the only man who can stop him. It’s a 90s trash classic and I urge you to seek it out as soon as possible.