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RATING: 3/5 Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Lymari Nadal, RZA, Ted Levine, Ruby Dee, Armand Assante
Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Crime/Drama
MPAA: rated R for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality. AGE-DEFYING DUO - SAVE
$13 Parental Guide:
Nudity: R equivalent; 6 scenes of female nudity
Profanity: R equivalent; approx. 130 “F” words, approx. 200 profanities
Sex: R equivalent; 1 sex scene
Violence: R equivalent; bloodshed, murder, shot in head,
Other: R equivalent; explicit drug abuse
{snippet amazon} does not exists! In the 1970s on the streets of Harlem, where public enemy number one was drug abuse, where everybody was either stealing or dealing, drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) created an empire, earning a reportedly $1m a day selling his product Blue Magic. Hot on his trail was no nonsense, obsessed Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). The biggest problem with American Gangster is its lack of intensity, never taking full advantage of the dramatic elements that obviously surrounded Lucas’ life, and the sympathy audiences will most certainly share for the infamous drug lord. This man was a drug lord, destroyer of lives, ruthless murderer, and yet we want him to prevail in the end. Crowe’s character doesn’t surface as our true hero. The last time Denzel Washington played the bad guy, the villain he received an Academy Award for Best Actor in “Training Day” (beating out his co-star here, Russell Crowe for his performance in “A Beautiful Mind”). This time around Washington’s character is a family man, a self-made man, taking his mother to church every Sunday, concerning himself with the dreams of his family members, appearing like a noble citizen with his respectful demeanor; meanwhile destroying lives with his brand name product. Women: What Men Want to See in Your Profile
Expert Flirting Tips Academy Award winner Russell Crowe surfaces his usual gruff, tough guy character that from first glance potentially could be another Oscar nomination. This will not be another year for the former Oscar winner. While Crowe is adequate he is overshadowed by an effective and arresting Denzel Washington; and it doesn’t help that Crowe’s character has little to offer. Some credit must be awarded Crowe for managing to inject some intrigue to his dull character. Crowe’s resume includes “3:10 to Yuma”, “Cinderella Man”, “Proof of Life”, “Gladiator”, “The Insider”, and “L.A. Confidential”. Prior to Russell Crowe accepting the role of Detective Richie Roberts, the filmmakers had considered such leading men as Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix and Benicio Del Toro. For Washington’s role of Frank Lucas Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda”) was considered. Director Ridley Scott jump-started his career in 1979 with the science fiction thriller “Alien” and the 1982 Harrison Ford vehicle “Blade Runner”; both landmarks in the genre. With exception to “Thelma & Louise”, Scott seemed to have lost inspiration, lost that original creativity as evident in his delivery of films like “Legend”, “1492: Conquest of Paradise”, and “G.I. Jane”. But then in 2000 Scott delivered the Oscar winning epic “Gladiator”, starring Russell Crowe. Scott tossed Crowe into two more efforts: “A Good Year” and American Gangster. Scott’s resume includes “Kingdom of Heaven” (Orlando Bloom), “Matchstick Men” (Nicolas Cage), “Black Hawk Down” (Josh Hartnett), and “Hannibal” (Anthony Hopkins). The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofer (“Talk to Me”), Josh Brolin (“In the Valley of Elah”), Ruby Dee (“No. 2”), Armand Assante (“Funny Money”), Carla Gugino (“Night at the Museum”), and Cuba Gooding Jr. (“Radio”). Similar, more compelling gangster outings include “The Godfather” (Marlon Brando), “Scarface” (Al Pacino”), “Goodfellas” (Robert De Niro), “L.A. Confidential” (Kim Basinger), and last years Oscar winner “The Departed” (Jack Nicholson). While American Gangster is a fine effort, solid performances, intriguing, entertaining, it doesn’t quite rise to its full potential. For me, this was a potential Oscar contender until viewing. Maybe under another’s direction this could have been something special.
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