American Gangster

Aroview: Hefty gangster flick in the tradition of SCARFACE, SERPICO, et. al., but based on an amazing true story: Washington plays Frank Lucas, the driver to a legendary proto-pimp who becomes a Harlem drug kingpin; Crowe plays the one honest cop who plans to bring it all down.

Helmed by hitmaker (and occasional flop-producer) Ridley Scott, this gangland tome is executed with grunt and sudden impact, though falls well short of the caliber of THE GODFATHER and other likeminded crime epics. Within the grubby, authenticated milieu of 70s New York, Washington oozes command and charisma, even if the film makes a meal out of moralising his drug racketeering; Crowe, too, is an able foil, self-deprecatingly weathered and overweight in a role that might've otherwise lacked dimension.

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