American Gangster

No doubt you have already heard plenty about this film. I suspect you are going to hear even more as end of the year wrap-ups begin.

What a pleasure to watch two amazing professionals like Denzel Washington ("Man on Fire," "Philadelphia" and "Inside Man") and Russell Crowe ("3:10 to Yuma," "Cinderella Man," "The Insider" and "Master and Commander") directed by Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down," "Gladiator" and "Blade Runner"). The production values are top notch and everyone in the supporting cast is also outstanding.

The story, based on two real-life opponents, is riveting. Washington's character, a fellow named Frank Lucas, is an ultra smart importer of drugs, direct from Vietnam...no middleman, no cutting of purity, no side issues. As a matter of fact, his troubles don't really begin until he agrees to include the Mob in part of his business. Armand Assante plays the capo who eventually engineers the deal. You'll love the reference to dairy farmers...so did Lucas!

Lucas is American to the core; he is a businessman, a capitalist and highly competitive. He takes great pride in his impeccable dress, his low-key public persona and his assertive actions when he deems them necessary. He protects his brand name and doesn't want people to doubt the quality of his product. He will kill without compunction, which establishes his power in Harlem in such a way that no one dares challenge him. He becomes so successful he moves his entire family up from the South where he establishes them in businesses that will provide covers for his profitable enterprise. He installs his mother (Ruby Dee) in a palatial home and takes her to church each and every Sunday, without fail.

On the other hand, Crowe's character Richey Roberts is a scruffy but honest cop who is almost drummed out of the corps because he turned in nearly a million dollars confiscated in a drug bust. Most of the police force was on the take, so this caused an almost fatal rift when he needed backup in an early violent scene and no one would go to his aid. Roberts' life is in the toilet because his soon-to-be-ex wife (Carla Gugino) objects to his hours, his friends and his honesty, which, from her perspective, doesn't seem to be buying him much. He has passed the bar exam, but has problems with public speaking...

This movie makes no bones about the devastation caused by Lucas's business. There are many scenes of drug use: tragic, chaotic and repugnant. Frank's personal code of behavior is slippery. He is consistent in his elegant dress, his fastidious nature and his affection for his mother, but will kill without hesitation and makes millions from the very drugs that are causing such tragedy in Harlem. I LOVED it when Washington, late in the movie, takes an unconscious subtle swipe at a coffee ring left by a take-out cup on a crumby table... Little things....

Josh Brolin has a more prominent spot as one of the crooked cops. Much has been said about this being an Oscar-winning role, but it certainly escaped me. After you see it, be sure to tell me what I overlooked.