American Gangster

So I resisted the temptation of my local bootlegger and saw American Gangster on Thursday at Midnight in the Movie Theatre. And while the goal of many bloggers is to say something amazingly shocking or witty (or at least have shocking titles), all I can say about American Gangster is that it was "cool." It was by no means a cinematic breakthrough and it actually did Harlem no justice. The movie was "cool." The saving grace of the film was actually the acting....yeah I'd have to say that when I sum up the film I can really only say that it exhibited pockets of great acting.

Now there were obviously moments of extreme pleasure (PAUSE) while watching the film, but for most of the film I sat in my seat waiting for the aforementioned pockets of great acting. While Ruby Dee played a limited role in the film, she radiated on screen and gave a clinic for classic overacters like Cuba Gooding Jr. Her role as the matriarch of the Lucas clan defines how a supporting actress should play her role. Ruby Dee's eyes told the story before Frank Lucas could say a word. Her eyes told you that she didnt agree with Frank's lifestyle but that she was tired of being poor. And while she was an old-fashioned woman from the south, you believed in the insight she gave Frank towards the end of the film.

Clarence Williams III (Bumpy Johnson) is a genius. His role, albeit brief, as the mentor and predecesor to Frank Lucas showed so much complexity in 15 minutes that I had to go research his life and what it meant to the Harlem scene during his time.

Russell Crowe did a good job playing the unbelievable character of Richie Roberts. Richie Roberts was the cop turned prosecutor who cheated on his wife, abandoned his son, and slept with every woman in sight, hung out with drug dealers and gangsters...but wouldn't partake in any corrupt police activities.....yeah right! I believe the writers didnt even believe that Richie Roberts was completely clean from the corruption. But that's why I say Russell Crowe did a good job because his character was more fictional than Spiderman. In fact, Richie Roberts is portrayed as a prosecutor hellbent on cleaning up the streets by catching Frank Lucas, but a few years later becomes a defense Attorney and is hired by Frank Lucas. Oh and Richie Roberts and Frank Lucas are friends now.

Common had three lines in the movie...not really worth mentioning but "I used to Love H.E.R." is my favorite hip hop song. T.I. was pretty good shedding the skinny tough guy image. But the standout hip hop feature in the film was RZA. Rakeem played a cop part of Richie Roberts crew and did a decent job in spite of his horrendous speech impediment and the sizeable amount of script he was responsible to read.

Finally Denzel. The gift and the curse with Denzel is that he's always good. So for him to get an amazing review he has to be more than amazing. Now like I said earlier, this film revolved around pockets of great acting. There were moments in this film where Denzel was amazing. He absolutely murdered Russell Crowe in their interrogation scene. However, the problem was that Denzel didnt have much to work with.

Unlike Malcolm X, Harlem Nights, Glory, etc., which were also period peices, American Gangster did a horrible job of making the audience feel the period. Harlem has a culture all its own and it was completely lost in this film. The dichotomy and complexity of poor but flashy African Americans vs. Rich and Uppity Negroes has defined the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. The scene in Malcolm X where Denzel is preaching on the street is classic...but I didnt get a sense of any Harlem culture in American Gangster. And thats where I hold Ridley Scott responsible.

I say American Gangster is a cool film that employs pockets of great acting.