AMERICAN GANGSTER

(Universal Pictures)
Runtime: 158 min

With a corny title, American Gangster should live up to its premises, blood, violence, a bit about existensialism, greed, bad cop doing honest stuff and a “normal” ending.

Gangster, the word which rhymes better if it puts on the same sentence with some director from New York, got a Ridley Scott treatment, packed with period detail and violent energy once Martin Scorsese had but with less profanity than GoodFellas.

Before I watch it I presume that this film will pay homage to The Untouchables, Serpico, The Godfather even some Harlem crime drama, but there was no homage at all, it was a pure gangster story with the spirit of those film.

Ridley brings two heavyweights contender, Denzel and Russel. It’s just like seeing Ali vs Frazier, with Denzel throws enough punch to nab him a nomination and outshine Russel.

Denzel play nasty, he kicks, punch and shoot anyone on his way, while Russel is not a nice cop who reminds you of Serpico, his marriage has fallen apart and refusing to take a million dollar made him notrious among his peers.

This is the real story of Frank Lucas, a heroin smuggler who defies all gravity while everyone was sucked in to Vietnam war, even the authority consider him above the mafia. Frank went to South Asia, distributes the new blue magic and made a shitload of fortune out of it. This is the embodiment of the American Dream: the corporate way of lie, kill, cheat and success as killer instinct. Everything went well, until Richie Roberts (Russel Crowe) spot him on Ali-Frazier night. After all only an intoxicated Paris Hilton wouldn’t notice a man with an overrated mink coat that sits at the front row.

What follow is the cat and mouse game with the climax where both of the heavyweight contender finaly share the same screen and throws acting punches that will make you gasp. If you like to glorify crime, this is the perfect flick.