American Gangster is the story of Frank Lucas, the notorious New York gangster in the 60’s and 70’s. Frank started is career in crime as the quite and loyal driver to “Bumpy” Johnson, the Harlem kingpin who taught Frank everything he knew.
Oscar© winner Denzel Washington does it again in his portrayal of Lucas. I’m writing this as I watch Training Day, which won him his first Oscar©, ironic.
This movie is set to the backdrop of the Vietnam War which helps the storyline flow as it seems to always be on the news during the movie. It almost has a Forrest Gump feel to it in comparison to how the broadcasting of the war acts as a timeline for the movie itself.
I got a chance to watch this movie last night through means that I will not disclose here; but you can check out the story in the Wall Street Journal about how this movie was….you know…before it was released.
Over all, I enjoyed this movie throughly. Denzel and Russel Crowe played very well off each other and made for a powerful duo. As the story revolves around both main characters, Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts, they ultimately collide for a less then dramatic ending. Here I was expecting another Training Day, “KING KONG A’INT GOT SHIT ON ME!!” style ending, but none-the-less got closure. Edit: It’s based on a true story, so I guess expecting a Training Day ending was out of the case.
I definitely recommend this movie to fans of the good ‘ol mafia movies. Though it’s no Goodfellas or Scarface, American Gangster has it’s jaw-dropping moments of cold-blooded action, especially the opening scene.
See American Gangster November 2nd.
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