Movie Review

American Gangster

By: Jordan Kerfeld

Posted: 11/12/07

As a film, Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" pursues greatness, but mostly chases its tail for two hours and 40 minutes.

Predictably, it mires itself in the repeated value-inversion of the crime genre, of crooked cops and noble criminals. It is a film without suspense, drama, humor or a coherent ending.

It just exists.

The "true" story includes Denzel Washington starring as Frank Lucas, a mob boss on the rise who is smuggling heroin in the coffins of American soldiers returning from the Vietnam War.

Meanwhile, police officer Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is an honorable heart-of-gold in the body of law enforcement corruption.

Both are conflicted characters, but not in an interesting way.

Lucas espouses the values of honesty, integrity and family, but in the next scene we watch him smash his brother's head against a car window until it breaks. He is quiet, firm and very dull.

While noble in a legal sense, Roberts' numerous love affairs and associations with "former" criminals tarnish him and his family. He too is a morose and subdued personality whose outward front and actions constantly contradict each other.

The two figures cross paths in the final half hour of the movie. But there is no exciting cat-and-mouse pursuit game between cop and criminal. They simply co-exist, and for the most part they have a pleasant relationship with each other.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend the entire movie, just the final two minutes. The ending information (given as irritating text on picture) left me not only shocked but scratching my head. It sheds a hard light on the inadequacies of our judicial system and leaves the viewer contemplating possible omissions from the real story.

Washington turns in a terribly underwhelming performance that gives viewers little insight into Lucas. Reviews I have read slate this as Denzel's best performance in his entire career. I didn't know clenched jaws and stoic expressions for three hours passed as acting brilliance. Crowe, too, seems to be cycling on the same gear from a dramatic acting standpoint.

Scott knows how to make an interesting and entertaining film ("Gladiator," "Matchstick Men"), but his punches miss with "Gangster." The film is visually interesting, but the concept seems to rely too much on realism.

If you want to watch a dry, naturalistic representation of crime in the '70s, "American Gangster" might be enough of a diversion. But I felt tricked by the trailers, which have been advertising a very different film than what I saw.

I think I'll stick with Al Pacino wiping coke residue from his snotty nostrils and wielding a machine gun.

jkerfeld@unews.com