Teaming up with comeback kid Russel Crowe (the guy really needed Gangster and 3:10 To Yuma to hit
at the Box Office after a series of duds - which seems to have worked wonders with Body of Lies) American Gangster
is a surprisingly gripping film which begins as we follow black
gangster, Frank
Lucas (Denzel Washington), a reserved driver for one of the
inner city's leading
black crime bosses.
However, when his boss suddenly dies Frank
takes on
the role of boss, building his own empire through strict business
ethics
and importing large quantities of 100% heroin, flooding the streets
with a pure product at half the price.
Crowe plays an outcast cop
(essentially, because he's the only non-crooked cop on the force) who
is trying to crack the case of the shift of control within the drug
underworld.
The beauty of the film is that, due to both Crowe
and Washington's characters sharing such strict ethical
codes, their
stories are somewhat parallel to one another only on the opposite sides
of the law. The brilliance of Washington's performance (and I'm sure
you can understand how difficult that is for me to admit) is that the
confidence Lucas exudes almost makes you side with his way of business
(despite, in reality, he is pedaling 100% pure addiction
to junkies).
While the running time is somewhat daunting (the first
two acts seem to mesh into one block of character development - leaving
you at a loss as to where the story is actually heading) Ridley Scott's
competent directing keep you on you're toes for the majority of the
flick with intensity as the emotionless and sudden violence from Lucas
(you
can really see the repressed rage brewing inside of Washington
throughout the whole film, he's just superb) rivals with
his morality.
The epilogue may leave some viewers unsatisfied (if
only because you feel like Lucas is excused simply because 'he seems
like a nice guy') - but ultimately - this is another solid effort from
all involved.
Let's just hope Washington continues his current form instead
of inflicting us with another Man
on Fire who is Out of Time with Deja Vu forgettable-type
junk.
Because when he delivers - he delivers! DVD EXTRAS
There are quite a few cool versions of this floating around. The
flick went onto make something in the area of $260M Worldwide, so it's
no surprise the studio went all out in packing the extras on.
For
packaging nerds (which I very much am) you should be able to shop
around and find limited editon copies featuring Foil-Enhanced Slipcase
Packaging which come with a Rare Collector's Booklet.
There are
both Theatrical Versions plus Extended Versions (with over 18 minutes
of footage not seen in cinemas), the usual Commentaries with Ridley
Scott and Deleted Scenes.
However, there are some pretty worth
while featurettes including a look at the mystery behind the real life
circumstances that play out in the film.
Perhaps to early to
claim this one to be a classic - but definatley the most worthwhile
project Crowe has offered up in some time.
Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 75%
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