American Gangster (2007)

Ridley Scott's American Gangster is said to be based on a true story. It follows two stories - that of Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, and that of Richie Roberts, brought to you by Russell Crowe. Of course their two stories eventually intersect. Frank is the driver/enforcer of crime boss who dies minutes into the film leaving Frank feeling ready to start his own drug ring. Meanwhile Richie is a detective trying to fight drug trafficking in the midst of a highly corrupted police force.

As an audience member, you really hit the ground running in this movie. It's rather rare to be so forcefully made aware that the characters' lives have been going on before you joined the story. It was in fact so blunt in this film that I felt like I'd missed something and was desperately trying to catch up from the start. It takes a good twenty minutes to a half hour until you're comfortably entrenched in the story. From there on it's an interesting story with moments reminiscent of the Catch Me if You Can hunt except definitely not as tongue-in-cheek.

Russell Crowe really holds his own with his less glamorous story line while Denzel Washington is smooth as always, sometimes making you forget he's a crime boss. In fact, things are so smooth and in control often enough in the film that it leaves excitement voids. This is not a thrill ride, but it is a fairly interesting story to watch if you have two and a half hours to spare.

Rating:3/5
Recommended for: Those who like their movies not completely fictional.

Extended Review: While Lucas getting caught seemed like a foregone conclusion, it was sort of brilliant that it happened because he broke one of his own rules.