American Gangster Plays Good Cop, Bad Cop

Going into American Gangster last night I assumed I would see many things like drugs, murder and an occasional cop or two. By the end of it all it surpassed my expectations and disappointed me at the same time. This wasn’t a bad film by any means but to say it was one of the best of 2007 is a long shot. It’s too bad considering Ridley Scott has proven himself time and again that he can make great movies. This isn’t on the same level as Gladiator or Aliens.

American Gangster follows two main characters. Denzel Washington plays Denzel Washington, opps, I mean Frank Lucas. Frank is an ex-driver turned right-hand man turned mob boss. He was taught everything he knows from Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson who dies shortly into the film. After his death Lucas takes over and reworks everything Bumpy had created to make it a more successful “business.” Detective Richie Roberts, portrayed by Russel Crowe, is the Serpico of his precinct. Early on he and his partner discover nearly one million dollars in cash and turn it in. At this time it was almost unheard of to be a straight cop when nearly three-fourths of the force was corrupted. This decision ultimately leads to the death of his partner and puts Roberts in charge of a newly created task force to bring down drug dealers.

The main problem with the movie is Richie Roberts’ failing marriage. An appropriate backdrop is never set in place and there is virtually no emotion involved in the situation. I could careless that he is losing his kid when I have no idea how much the detective really cares about him. Not only that, but it adds nothing to the story. I would love to say that it provided an inside look into the mind Roberts but it just isn’t there. It simply is the dull plot within the interesting one. Because of this, time becomes an issue. It’s a little long at a running length of two and half hours. Leaving this portion out would have been a good decision.

One feature of American Gangster that also gets a little uneasy is the cast. There is an overwhelming amount of big name characters in almost every role. Josh Brolin and Russel Crowe are the obvious standouts. Washington would be included in that list if I thought he was actually acting. No matter what movie he is in I still see the same old Denzel. Other characters played by RZA (from Wu-Tang fame), Common, and T.I. are all too distracting from the story. They aren’t bad actors but it would have been a better choice to get some no names for these roles since they aren’t detrimental to the story anyway.

Even with all these missteps it still manages to come out as a strong film. It doesn’t force the audience to view Frank Lucas or Det. Richie Roberts as the “bad guy” (Josh Brolin plays that part) and offers some memorable performances. If you need to waste away a few hours American Gangster won’t disappoint you but it will leave you hungry for more of the same.