"See, ya are what ya are in this world. That's either one of two things: Either you're somebody … or ya ain't nobody."—Frank Lucas
I had high hopes for "American Gangster," based on the presence of accomplished actors like Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. However, not far into this one, it was apparent that director Ridley Scott had set out to make the "Black Scarface," (want a dose of subtlety? Check out the movie poster above, then click here for the Scarface version) making this flick fall far short of the goal.
This movie follows the story of Frank Lucas, who rises from a position as a driver and personal bodyguard for a street-level gangster named Bumpy Johnson to unparalleled power in Harlem. Soon after Johnson's death, Lucas sees a void in the area's gang structure, and he quickly makes moves to fill it to pre-empt power grabs by rival leaders.
Supposedly, "American Gangster" is based on a true story, although there is some question as to how much of the story is actually attributable to Frank Lucas, especially the alleged close ties to Johnson. Interestingly, Lucas's daughter Francine later went into the witness protection program and started up a program called Yellowbrickroads that offers resources to the children of incarcerated parents. Also, one of his sons, Frank Lucas, Jr., is now a hip-hop artist who has started the Frank Lucas brand with his dad. Lucas himself was confined to a wheelchair as of 2005, due to a car accident that broke his leg in two places.
Borrowing heavily from elements of the "Godfather" (obviously) and "Scarface" (as noted before), Lucas seizes onto the themes of order and discipline in his quest for success. Part of Lucas's rise to prominence is that he dresses and carries himself like a prominent businessman ("Listen to me, the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room."), always immaculately and nattily (yeah, I used it) attired. Lucas fights hard to maintain the family structure and uphold his status as a good citizen, son and brother. He portrays himself as a church-going businessman, leading to some interesting juxtapositions. Ironically, the onset of his downfall begins when his wife gives him a fur pimp jacket as a present, which puts him on the radar of local police after they notice him at a boxing match schmoozing with some local crime-syndicate bigwigs.
When a rival gang leader tells him that the life they've chosen mandates a choice between having success and having enemies, or being unsuccessful and having friends, we begin to see the isolation that Lucas feels. He is warned repeatedly—"Quitting while you're ahead is not the same as quitting," he's told in a poignant moment—but nothing comes between him and his reckless downfall (Tony Montana, anyone?).
Fat Russell Crowe was stellar as always, shining as burned-out detective and wannabe lawyer Richie Roberts. This is the role that Bruce Willis tried to play in "16 Blocks," but simply came across as a little too world-weary and uncaring. But Crowe owns it, capturing the essence of a divorced bachelor who has nothing left but his job and a vague sense of morality. Early on in the film, Roberts finds a million dollars in unmarked bills, but he gives it back, which shows his principles, but also makes him a pariah among his police peers, for which bribery and extortion is a way of life. The turned-down money is a running theme in the flick, as it is mentioned over and over by characters who know Roberts only as the legendary (read: stupid) cop who won the lottery … then gave the ticket away. Crowe is also facing the uphill battle that comes along with a realization that those at the upper levels of government don't really want him to succeed at the job they've assigned him to—he says, "Judges, lawyers, cops, politicians … They stop bringing dope into this country, about a hundred thousand people are gonna be out of a job."
Even after his surprising turn in "No Country for Old Men," Josh Brolin is a bit hard to take seriously as the dirty cop, Detective Trupo. "Boyz N Da Hood" washup Cuba Gooding Jr. was insufferable even in a bit role as small-time hood Nicky Barnes; Gooding just always comes across like he's trying way too hard to revive a nonexistent career. Stunning Carla Gugino plays Roberts's ex-wife, Laurie, and my stance has always been that any movie is only going to get better the more Carla Gugino is in it. Unfortunately, they relegated her to a bit role, so they deserve the subpar end result.
Lucas's ace card is the development of Blue Magic, which is uncut, pure heroin directly from Southeast Asia. The kicker is he has made several deals that allow the heroin to be smuggled into the United States inside the coffins of dead Viet Nam soldier. The result is that he is able to eliminate the middle man and sell a product that is eminently better and much cheaper than his competition, creating a runaway train in the drug underworld of Harlem. What slows the pursuit of Lucas and helps keep the spotlight off him for a while is a bureaucratic indignation and disbelief that a black man has ascended to a kingpin position that is actually above the mafia in terms of power in New York City.
When Roberts is able to flip Lucas's cousin, a junkie, the task force begins to make the headway it needs to make a real and relevant push toward bringing Lucas's operation down. Some crucial scenes took place in the projects, a forbidding, dangerous, dark area, especially during that time in our country's history, with Watts, a tension-filled burgeoning civil rights movement and an ongoing war. In the climactic shootout scene, a soccer ball is shown in slow motion rolling down the hallway with a kid chasing it, sort of an overly used technique to build drama before the raid.
There is a strong, highly dramatic scene between Lucas and Roberts near the end, after Lucas is arrested, where Lucas alternately attempts to bribe and threaten Roberts. Instead, Roberts only wants to know how far the dirty-cop thread runs, and Lucas finally relents and says he'll reveal it all for some level of immunity. More than $250 million is confiscated from the Lucas empire and 30 members of Lucas's family are convicted of trafficking and sent to prison. Amazingly, 75% of the New York City Drug Enforcement Agency is convicted with Lucas's help, with more than 100 convictions in all.
Lucas is sentenced to 70 years, which is reduced to just 15, while Roberts eventually becomes a district attorney. In the cheesy final scene, when Roberts is finally released from prison, Roberts is there to meet him and buy him a cup of coffee. The ensuing meander through the streets of Harlem doesn't fit the rest of the movie and stamps the ending with a weak, off-the-mark note.
One of the problems is that I've seen Denzel Washington in this role too many times; it becomes the equivalent of a Will Ferrell movie or character that you feel like you've watched five times already. Combine that sense of familiarity and déjà vu with some rather blatant rip-offs of gangster flicks like "Scarface," "Godfather" and "Goodfellas," and you're left with the resulting lack of originality that makes it seem like you have seen this one before. Ridley Scott appeared to have all the pieces in place, but came up with a hollow flick that strived for a bang … but left with a whimper.
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