EPIC

We’re no longer accustomed to sweeping visual films that focus on characters
and societal dramas that take us from two different zones of life and gradually
bring all souls together in a clash of gigantic human proportions. “American
Gangster” is that and more. Two hours and thirty-seven minutes in length,
this sure Oscar contender follows in the Coppola – Scorsese traditions and doesn’t
take a back seat to anything that came before. The score weaves perfectly through
the film along with the events of the Vietnam war to craft a mood and aura that
is reminiscent of the best films ever put together for the screen. What Ridley
Scott creates is a perfectly paced epic taken from a real life story of a heroin
king who beat the mafia, the New York cops, and in the end came up against the
one honest officer, played by Russell Crowe, who lost everything, but never
lost sight of his mission. Denzel Washington personifies everything America
loves in our bad guys: wealth, power, a renegade who bucked the system and won;
a sexual animal running wild in a world he maneuvered to his own benefit. In
“American Gangster” a story is revealed about a man who achieved something
no white man ever thought could happen. A black man who ends up on top of them
all, including the mafia and the law, none of whom could match his cunning criminality
and daring, his hunger for power and independence. The screenplay is brilliantly
crafted by Steve Zaillian.

“People like me. People like the fuck out of me.” – Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington

After Lucas’s mentor dies he’s presented with a problem. How to take what he’s
been taught and turn it into gold, his gold; something he owned, not managed. Never mind that Bumpy
Johnson was killing his people with heroin. How could Lucas take that business
and be more than his mentor? He couldn’t do it without his family, any more
than Crowe’s character could do it with his by his side. With the Vietnam war
raging, Lucas decides that what he needs is better product and a better price.
How to do it? If the junk is in Southeast Asia, baby, go to the source. “Blue
Magic” is born and along with it a tale of extraordinary violence, devil’s
work and impossible hopes, followed by devastating choices that head straight on into one New York City cop
that represents the only honest element circling Lucas’s world.

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe square off in opposite corners of world,
but slowly and methodically have their separate worlds collide, along with the
fortunes of New York City cops who end up seduced at a time when the Vietnam war corrupted a few enterprising soldiers who were taking advantage of one of Southeast Asia’s biggest exports: heroin. But “American Gangster” has a sweep that doesn’t allow an actor or character to rule exclusively, which is just one part of its remarkable cinematic scope. Everyone dissolves together to play their part in the plot. Unconnected
worlds take time to weave themselves together and director Ridley Scott doesn’t
short change the two men and the lives that end up colliding in an explosively
dramatic human story. It takes courage to make a film out of the traditions
of the best, especially since we don’t have the time to savor such succulent
screen concoctions anymore. But Scott knew what the story deserved and committed
to the journey. Filmgoers must as well, if only to honor the magnificence of
offering epics in the midst of snack bite features.

Heroin entrepreneurship has never looked more ingenious or been put on the
screen with such vigor and force. When Denzel Washington screams at Armand Assante, they tried to kill my wife, after escaping a mob hit on the street, you can’t help but remember Michael Corleone that time in Tahoe. But this is not “The Godfather,” the first and best. It’s not
“Goodfellas.” It is the story of a black man who beat whitey and
the mob at their own game, then… Well, I’m not a spoiler. “American
Gangster” should not be compared with other giant films of the same
genre. It should be savored for the splendor of its own uniqueness and cinematic
sensationalism.

To say this is one of the best films of the year is easy. To also say it’s
one of the best films of the genre ever made is giving the film its due.