'American Gangster' slays early film critics
Can Ridley Scott finally catch up with the Oscar gold that eluded him in 2000 when "Gladiator" won best picture? Scott got gypped out of the director's trophy, which was snatched by Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic"). Oscar voters owe this guy and some award watchers believe that his new "American Gangster" could be just the right pic to muscle it.
Early reviews are out for the pic, which opens Nov. 2, and they're very positive, but they may be suspicious because they jump the official embargo. Remember, to attend advance press screenings, mainstream critics agree to hold their reviews till a certain date — one that is usually much closer to the premiere date than six weeks out.
"American Gangster" is a true-life crime drama with Scott directing Russell Crowe, who won best actor for their "Gladiator." Set in 1970s New York, Crowe plays a police detective on the trail of a drug lord (two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington) smuggling heroin in the returning coffins of U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam. Word is that, come awards season, Crowe will go supporting, leaving Washington to opt for lead where he could end up in a shootout with Crowe in the western "3:10 to Yuma."
British blogger Michael Morgan certainly gave the film an enthusiastic endorsement. "Fans of both Crowe and Washington will not be disappointed as the movie, like their performances, is flawless," he writes. "Michael Mann’s 'Heat,' with its showpiece scene in which De Niro and Pacino face off in a diner, is also deconstructed here. Instead of just paying homage both Crowe and Washington seek to reset the bar which they do to great affect. ' American Gangster' is a master class in acting, pacing and story telling my only criticism would be at 156 minutes perhaps it could have been a little longer."
Over at Film Ick, the reviewer was enthusiastic enough to draw comparisons to a best picture winner. "This cops 'n' pushers film is a genuine classic, easily the best of its kind since 'The French Connection' and, any comparison between Hackman and Crowe or that car chase aside, better even than that."
James King of BBC Radio thought, "'American Gangster' is a ferociously gripping two and a half hours. What it isn't, however, is a classic. Bound to draw comparisons to other crime epics such as 'Heat' and 'Scarface,' Gangster simply can't boast their ingenuity, satisfied to give you rather what you expect from the genre. It's classy and slick for sure--but it's all hugely familiar."
The sole Stateside review comes from Kris Tapley of In Contention. He writes, "Russell Crowe finally brings another humble and internally compelling performance to the screen, his first such effort since an Oscar-nominated turn in 1999’s 'The Insider.' Having made a career of seven-plus years on largely charismatic characters, it's refreshing to see the actor go back to the roots of Jeffrey Wigand and Wendell White, roots that brought an audience's attention to his talents in the first place." And Tapley thought Washington, "is on fire as Lucas, summoning a lot of the bite and venom that went into his Oscar-winning performance in 2001's 'Training Day.' Washington does a fine job of conveying this honed and guided individual, only rarely giving glimpses of internal, human strife that illuminate motive here and there, but never so much as to warrant forgiveness (though the script would ask otherwise of the viewer). It's easily a performance good enough for awards consideration."
