I am always very wary of films that seem to have excessive PR budgets.
Of the films of 2007 American Gangster seemed to have attracted a lot of media attention. As happens when a film gets that much attention you are generally left wondering if it can possibly live up to all the hype.
In any case I decided to go and see it this afternoon and I must admit I was anything but disappointed.
From the opening scene you know it’s going to be a violent film. Within the first minute the main character, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), has already killed a man in cold blood. But it’s not so much the killing that is violent, but the treatment of the drug users that act as the background to the story of Lucas’ rise and subsequent fall. If you’re afraid of needles you better not go and see this film!
The story traces the rise of Lucas from being a common “hood” in Harlem to being one of the most powerful, and feared, men in organised crime in the United States. Of course it’s not a fairytale, so his ascent is not without bloodshed and there’s also the cop who is set on bringing him down played by Russell Crowe.
Definitely one to rent on DVD when it comes out
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