In 1970s America, a detective (Russell Crowe) works to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a heroin kingpin from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far East in the midst of the Vietnam War. (imdb.com)

I’m not normally a fan of Denzel Washington. He’s a bit too one-dimensional for me, although I am sure many would disagree. Nonetheless, I loved American Gangster. It was a somewhat subtle film (compared to other Gangster films) that has great story and character development. Both Russell Crowe and Washington were convincing in their roles as Frank Lucas, the first black Gangster, and Detective Richie Roberts, who helped to take him down. The supporting cast was both strong and unassuming including Chiwetel Ejiofor, whom I love, and who played Washington’s naive, country-bumpkin younger brother.

The directing by Ridley Scott was on point and as exceptional as all his films. Scott has a way of bringing relatability to storylines with characters who seem more on the fringes, or at the very least least likely for the average person to come across on a given day. Scott’s not as raw and Martin Scorsese or as subtle and evocative as Ang Lee, but he’s got that certain awareness of how well developed characters (good or bad) draw you in and make you sit up and want to watch the plot unfold.

The writing was smart and strong. For a film based on a true story that spanned a few decades, I didn’t feel like the movie dragged on endlessly like say Blow, starring Johnny Depp.

The casting was dead on, save for Washington’s mother whose acting was a bit heavy handed.

Overall, this was a great, very satisfying and memorable film.

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