Critical Review of American Gangster

If you like action films, cops and robbers, thrillers and documentaries, this movie is for you. Not only does Densil Washington make a great drug dealer and villian he makes one of the best actors and makes this film sing. As Frank Lucas the small time drug dealer learning from early age what not to do and what to do like the Italian mobs, he begins to create a small time cartel that goes so large. Frank Lucas the head of the organization in the 1969 and early 1970's learns from the Italians that family keeps the trouble out and makes it easier to be around alot longer. With this knowledge he creates one of the first mob or gangs that is successful until his head and organization gets too big making mistakes and becoming flashy. So flash a cop could make him.

However, part of his ring started out with help from the cops and military initially until he decided he had enough and was not willing to give out a take to any cop nor would he have a middle man when it came to the source. "Blue Magic" the purest stuff out there at that time was stamped to his approval as long as it was pure and not tainted by some his lower ring leaders.

This great kingpin of Harlem learned that he was invisible until he upset the nature of things. At this time not only the cops were going to take him down but any of his Italian friends and small time competitors were ready to bring him down to be the next big Kingpin. This Kingpin however did have a good side in that he used some of the money to help the poor, provide turkeys, give his family a home to call their own at the expense of addicts lives.

On the other side of this movie and story is the notorious cop, Det. Richie Roberts played by Russell Crowe that found nearly a million dollars and did not keep it unlike 3/4s of the cops in New York. Unfortunately he lost his job until a special narcotic force was created to bring down the big time kingpins which would eventually pass over Frank Lucas's way. Smart cop with the ablity to be a lawyer even passing the bar exam was not so lucky in his love life and risking even seeing his kid he attempts to take down any heavy and any top drug dealer he could and however way it is not knowing it was Frank Lucas he was after.
If you want to see a possible oscar winning film. Go see this movie.

I will give it 4 stars out of 4 stars throughout the movie.