2007, USA/UK
Adventure, Biography, Crime, Drama, War
Success is all relative, whether it is attained by climbing to the top by busting bad guys or creating a drug empire centered around smart business practices. Either way, someone is going to die.
Director Ridley Scott reunites for the third time with Russell Crowe and fellow powerhouse actor Denzel Washington in American Gangster to tell the true parallel stories of two men who collided in the 70's drug world.
Crowe portrays the unassuming and too-honest-for-his-own-good New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts. Faulted for not taking bribes or found money, he is an outcast in his precinct. Washington portrays Frank Lucas, a mob boss' chauffer and man of dirty deeds, who faces risky opportunities when his boss dies. Based on Mark Jacobson’s profile of Lucas, "The Return of Superfly," the crime story is thorough but not burdening.
As Bumpy Johnson's shadow, Lucas learned everything about the Harlem drug world. He knows all of the seedy players, recognizes cracks in the system and knows how to exploit them. However, Lucas is aware that it is time for a shakeup. Shortly before Johnson dies, he delivers a statement filled with foreshadowing. He tells Lucas that the middle men are important to a business; without them, Americans are out of work. When an opportunity arises, Lucas cuts out these men to buy direct, using the Vietnam War as his direct line to the poppy fields. He demolishes the competition with a product that is not only purer but cheaper.
Meanwhile in Jersey, Roberts is a lone gun man surrounded by corrupt cops. His saving grace arrives when he is approached to create an undercover narcotics bureau. Spurred by a partner's overdose, Roberts begins his quest to find the source of the new, dangerously pure heroin sold on the streets. Coming up short through the usual Mafia channels, he begins to suspect there is a new sheriff in town.
These two stories are told independently with overlapping connections tieing them together. Scott does not create any unreasonable animosity; the men do not know each other nor seek each other out as enemies. A cop is merely trying to clean up the streets as a drug lord is trying to repollute them.
Both actors are at the top of their game. Washington portrays Lucas with restrained attitude; he is slick, intelligent but never too showy. It is only when he concedes to a flashy outfit from his wife that the gig is up, and his previously ghostly presence is revealed.
Crowe portrays Roberts with a smidge of naïvety, but that image is shattered when he is forced into action. A man with good intentions that has the power to turn from the easy path to corruption is the perfect opponent for a kingpin who values family and a professional business acumen, yet believes there are benefits down the untaken path.
Scott succeeds in delivering an engaging story about two remarkable standouts in their respective occupations. Like Sinatra said, they did it their way. Unlike Sinatra, no Mafia was necessary.