American Gangster

Two Academy Award winner for best actor collided in this movie about the life of one notorious gangster in America, Frank Lucas. Denzel Washington (Oscar for Training Day) starred as Frank Lucas, the main character, and Russel Crowe (Oscar for Gladiator) as his opposite, Richie Roberts, the honest drug cop who tries to untangle the web of one drug trafficking network. American Gangster directed by Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down).

The story revolved around Frank Lucas, who rises to the top of the crime world after his boss's death, using everything his boss has ever taught him. He quickly develop his wit, and saw an opportunity to make big bucks by transporting and selling high quality heroin directly from Southeast Asia, using his contact in the US military to provide for the transport. As his business grow larger, Lucas get help from his brothers, who he appointed as his lieutenant in his drug business. All his brothers own a legitimate business, which they uses for cover in laundering drug money. Meanwhile, Lucas maintain a life of low profile, discipline, and tried as hard to keep under the police radar.

In parallel timeline, Richie Roberts, trying hard to resist all temptations of being a cop, handover almost a million dollar he confiscated from a stake-out, after refusing his partner offering of splitting the money in two and not report the money to their superior. This move, make him famous, but also make his friends cautious and keep a distance with him. Later on, his superior appointed Richie to head the newly formed group of anti-narco cops, who will lead a group of honest cops, to tackle the flow of narcotics into New York and Jersey area.

Their life collided when Richie's ex partner dies of drug overdose, of a substance called Blue Magic, the drug Lucas marketed in downtown Harlem. Richie's team tries to track down the sales of Blue Magic, which led them to a Muhammad Ali boxing fight. In there for the first time, the team spotted the big boss of drug trafficking in Harlem, the man himself, Frank Lucas. From then on, the team's pursuit of Blue Magic, lead to Frank Lucas, and at the same time, Lucas's luck begin to run out after Vietnam War is over, which saw the military leaving Vietnam, and jeopardizing Lucas's primary means of transporting the drugs to the US undetected.

All in all, there's nothing special with this movie. The setting's so 70's. It's fun to watch New York in the 70s. The costumes is nice. Props is nice too. Now, the story itself is pretty standard. I think it's about the life of a gangster, which contrary to popular belief, is not always filled with gunshots and glamorous murders. The character Frank Lucas get to his position in top of the food chain by maintaining discipline, and keeping a low profile. It all comes down to one goal, to try as hard to avoid detection, lay low, be invisible, dont attract attention, so the cops will get off your back. If I had to rate this, I will give it 3-3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Such a shame really, considering you have 2 Academy-award winner starring, and an acclaimed director.