If anyone other than Denzel Washington had been the lead in this movie, it would probably would not have been worth watching. He is such a convincing actor that he can effortlessly turn what would have otherwise been a mediocre film into a pretty decent movie. American Gangster is based on the true story of Frank Lucas, a black man who becomes the leading heroin distributor in the country. Russell Crowe plays Ritchie Roberts, the too honest for his own good cop trying to bring down Lucas' drug empire. Denzel does a really good job of portraying Lucas. He is cold-hearted and calculated, and does an amazing job of realistically portraying this true-to-life character. Crowe does a fairly decent job, but I feel like I have seen a lot more effective work throughout his career. He is not bad, but I have come to expect better. Fortunately for American Gangster, Washington carries the movie and makes it extremely enjoyable to watch. I wonder about the authenticity of this film. It makes the claim that Frank Lucas was receiving his drugs via American military transport planes coming back from Vietnam. If that is true, it's just one more fucked up thing about America's involvement in Southeast Asia, but I guess shit happens. The other problem I have with this film is that it attempts to make the viewer sympathetic to a drug dealer. Halfway through the movie, I found myself rooting against Crowe and hoping that Denzel would win. I have no problem rooting for bandits like Robin Hood, or even Jesse James, but Frank Lucas was only trying to help himself, he was not fighting against tyranny or oppression; he was murdering people or selling them drugs. That said, this was a fun movie to watch and I am glad that I saw it. My wife did not watch with me, but I think she would have enjoyed it. I give American Gangster 3 stars.
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