Amazon Holiday

Thursday, December 20, 2007

American Gangster

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The true story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), the first Black American gangster, who found a way to traffic heroin, cutting out the middle men, so as to create and own his black market business, without having to answer to anyone.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ruby Dee, Idris Elba, RZA, Common, Lymari Nadal, Carla Gugino, Armand Assante, Kevin Corrigan, Tip Harris (T.I.)

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. Good, but not groundbreaking. The genre has been done before, and it's done perfectly well here, but nothing new is added to the formula, aside from the gangster being Black at a time when Black people were rarely in positions of power. No surprises to be had, it is what it is.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: They do show that famous clip of Muhammad Ali talking about how he's going to kick Joe Frazier's butt, and that's always good for a laugh.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're in PETA, Denzel's Chinchilla pimp coat and hat might bring tears to your eyes.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's nominated for 3 Golden Globes, for Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director (Ridley Scott), and of course, Denzel Washington... But they're all in categories where someone else clearly shone more.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Totally acceptable. Denzel and Russel can do these roles in their sleep.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Yet another good movie that could have been great simply by cutting it down to 2 hours, and thereby leaving out all the unnecessary parts.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The true story is interesting, but there were certain aspects of it that I would have like to see more of, like how and why the military got involved, and why his family jumped at the chance to blindly join his business, even though he hadn't spoken to them for 15 years, they didn't know what he did, and they saw him acting as a cold blooded killer. And other parts I would have been happy to see less of, like Russel Crowe's custody battle.

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4 comments:

RT said...

I told everyone one word - RENTAL.

Monique said...

I would agree with that. I actually think it would be more powerful on the small screen, too.

SpecBank.com said...

I totally disagree, I thought this movie was amazing and not only should have been up for best picture, but won it. The pacing was breathtaking, the art direction/cinematography a visual feast, and the story never let up. I can only think that The Departed, which was the lesser film, ruined it for AG. And they do explain how the military got involved. Without giving anything away, Frank was related to an officer serving in Nam, the guy he keeps calling over there. Thought that was clear. Also, the custody battle was not a big part of the film, and it showed how even though Richie was this uncorruptable cop, he definitely had his failings.

RT said...

Dan. Come on. This movie was crap in a sack. boring, dull, slow, uninspired. It was a Movie of the Week film dressed up to be Oscar Bait. One big snooze fest.