This is not your typical gangster movie.

American Gangster stars Denzel Washington as 1970s New York mobster-driver-turned-drug-lord Frank Lucas who learns all his tricks from his boss Bumpy Johnson (Clarence Williams III, uncredited) before Bumpy dies of a heart attack. Wanting his cut of the drug action dominated by Italian mob families, Lucas devises a scheme to have very pure heroin sent by US military planes from Asia to the United States during the Vietnam War. He markets his product under the name Blue Magic and sells it on the streets for half the price of product that is half as pure. Lucas gives each of his brothers front businesses in Harlem so that they can distribute the drug.

It does not take long for Blue Magic to fall into the hands of Detective Javier Rivera (John Ortiz) who overdoses on the drug. His partner, Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), decides to avenge his partner’s death by figuring out who is the mastermind behind Blue Magic. The trouble is getting anyone legitimate to believe that a black man no one has really heard of, rather than the typical Italian mob boss, could be the kingpin of such an innovative and wide-spread drug trafficking project. In order to protect his business investments and his family Lucas will do anything, including murder other mob members. It’s amazing how absolutely humble but evil Frank Lucas can be — a true Jekyll and Hyde.

Both Washington and Crowe deliver outstanding performances as antagonists who don’t actually know they are antagonists. Washington is convincing in his role as a man from the streets who wants better for his family. He does not overact as a street thug, and does not overact as a drug lord. He portrays the character in a way that makes the audience empathize with his situation, which would be impossible for most actors to do. Crowe does the same, portraying the street smart detective who tries to play by all the rules and keeps feeling the hardships that result when no one else around him is playing by those same rules. The equally incredible performances make it difficult for an audience member to decide which character to root for, so I ended up rooting for both of them.

The cinematography of this movie is what I would consider spectacular. The raw, grainy footage of the street shots matches the seedy subject matter, while the richly colorful and crystal clear “glamorous life” footage almost make you forget that many lives were ruined in order for Lucas to acquire and maintain that lifestyle. The music stays true to the period, a mix of blues, R&B, and soul tracks, with a little insertion of rap and hip-hop to relate the film to the 21st century audience.

The movie did have its slow moments, but they fit into the story line appropriately. My biggest complaint is the rushing of the ending. To tie up all the loose ends of many story lines the last 15 minutes of the film seem accelerated, hurried, and could be a bit confusing if you’re not used to watching a lot of gangster movies. I have a slight bias of loving movies about the 1970s, perhaps because that’s the decade I was born in, and despite its questionable historical accuracies/inaccuracies I still give this film a high mark for a fantastic cast, intriguing plot development, and perfect balance of brutality and humanity. The strangest part about this movie is that if I didn’t know it was based upon a true story I would have thought it completely unbelievable, which is actually one of the points of the film — no one expects some no name from the South to show up in Harlem and take over the drug scene.

It should be noted that many of the details in the movie were changed for the Hollywood effect. There is a great deal of debate regarding the “facts” of Lucas’s role in the trafficking of heroin from Asia to the United States. For more information about Frank Lucas watch the documentary SUPERFLY The True Untold Story of Frank Lucas The American Gangster and read New Criminology’s article Frank Lucas, “American Gangster,” and the Truth Behind the Asian Connection.

Buttery’s Rating:

Recommendations:

Best enjoyed with Nestlé Giant Pixy Stix — particularly the blue variety.