'American Gangster' is American made
MOVIE REVIEW
by KEN BARTOLOTTA Reporter

In spite of its title, I'd be hard-pressed to call "American Gangster" a mob movie.

Sure, it takes that well-traveled path of the fish-out-of-water gangster seeking some sort of redemption in his pursuit of the American dream, but in the end it's a film about the system and the loopholes and cracks that can determine the fates of so many.

Instead of concentrating on the details of a mob syndicate, director Ridley Scott instead chooses to delve into the rankings and hierarchy of law enforcement and the rampant corruption that swept through much of New York in the early '70s.

The movie, set against the dilapidated backdrop of New York City in the pre-Giuliani years, tells of the rise and fall of mob boss Frank Lucas, immaculately played by Denzel Washington, and the detective who spearheaded his downfall, Richie Roberts.

In terms of black and white, the film puts out a steady stream of gray, with cops being bought by mobsters, devouring bribes in the same way that junkies in the city do heroin.

It's in this chaos that Lucas seems to benefit most, finding a way to transport heroin from Vietnam under the nose of the military and thus putting himself at the top of the organized crime food chain.

Washington's role as Lucas is nothing if not powerful. In the ranking of mob movie patriarchs he exhibits the reserved power and entitlement of Vito Corleone and the explosiveness and sheer cool of Al Pacino's Michael Corleone.

However, what makes the turn complete is his complete disregard for getting his hands dirty; in other words, when there's a hit to be done, Lucas would have no problem doing it himself.

Washington's character graces us with the usual cliches that accompany these sort of roles: the importance of family as long as they don't put his own interests at risk, religion's role as little more than a thinly veiled guise to something much darker, and of course the rags-to-riches rise that we've seen countless times before.

The difference, though, is that Lucas is a black man ruffling the feathers of a predominately white business, a man who doesn't want to just have money, but power and wealth, and this doesn't sit well with the Mafia or the police.

Nor does the actions of Russell Crowe's Roberts, apparently one of the few good cops left in New York in the '70s.

In Roberts' eyes, his refusal to take a bribe or go beyond his normal jurisdiction gives him a free pass to wallow in almost every other vice that life has to offer, most notably womanizing.

It's in that corruption with which the movie seems most intent on beating us over the head, but it does give us a good idea of the uncertainty of the decade and the foreshadowing of the corruption that would eventually shake the highest office in the land.

Crowe's Roberts serves as the nagging voice that somehow manages to cut through this rampant ignorance of conscience and shake up a system where cops and robbers need each other to survive.

The entire system seems dependent on bribery. If the bad guys aren't perpetuating their role as lowlife scumbags, then the so-called good guys can bust them for their crimes and hold them for only enough time to get their fair share of the action.

And it's only fitting that in its conclusion, it all comes crashing down - every positive and negative aspect of these lives. The money's gone, the party's over and all we're left with is a courtroom, an overly confident Lucas and a smirking Crowe.

The movie also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor (Huey Lucas), Josh Brolin (Detective Trupo), Lymari Nadal (Eva), Ted Levine (Lou Toback), Common (Turner Lucas), T.I. (Stevie Lucas) and RZA (Moses Jones). "American Gangster" is 157 minutes and is rated R.

"American Gangster" lacks the sweeping grandiosity and old-world feel of the Godfather movies, and it's not quite as gritty or unhinged as "The Departed," but considering it's based on a true story, it works well within its context.

But, please, just don't call it a mob movie.

e-mail: kenb@beenews.com