Quartile rating: 8.5/10 · 1 rating
Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. Partly based on a true story.
American Gangster is a polished, well-crafted crime epic anchored by powerhouse performances from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, who elevate familiar rise-and-fall gangster material. The true-crime premise of heroin smuggled in soldiers' coffins from Vietnam gives it a distinctive historical hook, but the narrative structure follows well-worn genre conventions. Ridley Scott's direction is competent and handsome without being visually adventurous. The dual-protagonist structure works well but the ending, while satisfying, feels somewhat conventional for the genre. Acting is the clear standout, keeping the film well above its more formulaic elements.