American Gangster: DVD, HD DVD Review (2008)

Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" stars Denzel Washington as real-life crime boss Frank Lucas, who from 1968 to 1975 built a drug empire in Harlem that rivaled anything built by his competition--the Mafia, with whom he eventually got into bed, and Harlem rival Nicky Barnes (Cuba Gooding Jr.), with whom you could say he had something of a falling out.

And why not? At the height of his career as a drug-running, church-going, life-snuffing, family-loving thug, Lucas was worth in the neighborhood of $150 million, so you can imagine the complications this created for him in his own neighborhood, particularly since Lucas controlled a market others wanted to corner.

As with so many American movies focused on an individual who realizes the American dream, illegally or otherwise, "American Gangster" follows suit with a parallel story of those determined to bring that person down for achieving it.

In this case, it wasn't just Barnes who wanted Lucas gone. More significantly, it was Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), the New Jersey narcotics cop who wanted to undo a man actively undoing his own people.

Working against Roberts were his colleagues across the driver, dirty NYPD cops profiting on the sly from the illegal drug activity. Chief among them is Det. Trupo (an excellent Josh Brolin), who would be cheated out of one glam lifestyle if Roberts succeeded in his mission.

The movie runs nearly three hours (and it sometimes feels it), and its ambitions ultimately prove too much for it. The screen burns with talent here, but many of the supporting performances are so underwritten, they make only fleeting impressions.

The exception is Ruby Dee as Lucas' mother, who shares a scene with Washington that's so good and so memorable, it won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Rated R. Grade: B

Read the full, unedited review here.

View the trailer below: