I finally saw American Gangster this week. This movie clocks in at 2 hrs and 40 minutes but somehow at the end of it I felt they should have and could have gone a full 3 hrs just to add more story content. Will the DVD Bonus Features show that they actually cut out hrs and hrs more of this film? It felt like it at the end. It felt like certain scenes got sacrificed for others but that is Hollywood.
First I have to say, they did not glamorize criminal life in this movie which I did not expect them to do, especially since Denzel was involved. It was a good movie and the acting performances by Denzel and Russell Crowe were decent.
Also, before I get too deep into my review, there are some books I have read and/or am reading that have been informative on this subject. They are Black Brothers Inc., The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia by Sean Patrick Griffin, Black Gangsters of Chicago by Ron Chepesiuk and Mr. Untouchable: My Crimes and Punishments by Nicky Barnes.
OK, now, What did I think of the movie American Gangster? Do you want my honest opinion? I thought it was well done for the most part but by the end of the movie when the credits rolled I walked away with the feeling that it was as they say around the way, "just ahhiite."
What was this movie missing? Where can I begin? OK, let me start over. I went into this movie actually ignoring the Oscar buzz and comparisons to The Godfather and all the high critical praise I have read or heard from critics. I went into this movie simply to see what did they do. What had director Ridley Scott come up with along with Denzel and Russell Crowe.
I went into this movie not expecting a glorification of that era but more for what I call filling in the gaps of some info I had heard of that era in Harlem, New York going back to the time I was in High School at least. (stories from older men at the barber shop, down on the corner, around the way etc.)
When I left the movie I came away with more questions than answers though it did fill in some gaps and I emphasize some.
I thought they did a good job of showing what Harlem looked like in the late 60s and early 70s. I also thought they did a good job of showing some of the socioeconomic influences and times that may have influenced society to create a Frank Lucas and many more like him. What was missing I think was what they could have shown more character development for each character including Frank's family, his brothers, etc.
THE CONNECTION TO ELLSWORTH BUMPY JOHNSON - DID BUMPY REALLY PASS THE TORCH TO FRANK LUCAS IN HARLEM?
The movie Hoodlum (1997) told the story of Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson and Madame Stephanie St. Clair who was a French black woman born in Martinique that ran Harlem that starred Laurence Fishburne, Vanessa Williams and Cicely Tyson.
I raise this movie up in this blog today because in the movie American Gangster, it opens with a scene of Bumpy and Frank Lucas walking and talking together in Harlem. Now this is where things have gotten debatable from what I have heard from sources who were there at the time and knew the deal. See harlemgodfather.com for more.
Some have said Bumpy never officially passed the torch onto Lucas. The movie portrays it like he did or that he trained Lucas right up under him to be his replacement.
I raise this point because as one who likes to hear and get the story right, I am looking for accuracy and truth.
I thought it was also interesting that they cast Clarence Williams III to portray Bumpy in American Gangster, when he was cast in 1997's Hoodlum as Bub Hewlett (see standing on right in pic), the black gunman who had fought against Bumpy and was hired by Dutch Schultz to strong-arm the black bankers and their runners into joining his numbers syndicate. See crimelibrary.comfor more. By the end of Hoodlum, Bumpy has a man to man talk with Bub Hewlett on how they can work together.
DENZEL - OSCAR BUZZ? DO YOU REALLY THINK SO?
I love Denzel as an actor and as a human being and I love his work but I did not necessarily feel this was an Oscar performance. I felt it was Denzel doing Denzel. As a matter of fact, I have felt for at least 5 or 6 pics in a row now, we have gotten Denzel doing Denzel more than Denzel really going into a character and I almost forget that it is him doing it. Yes, Training Day was good and I know he got the Oscar for that but what I mean is, it seems as of late Denzel will do a movie and he is just himself or himself being angry or himself being cool or himself being slick or smart or whatever. Maybe that is his method but I like to see him stretch more like he did in Soldier's Story and Glory where he stretches far out of his own self and character.
CLOSING THOUGHTS ON AMERICAN GANGSTER
Hollywood does what Hollywood does. They take liberties all the time with history. We see it again and again. What was truth, what was fiction, what was done to get "butts in the seats"? Their primary goal of course is to make money. To make that money back into whatever film they invested in. Sometimes as we see the real story or stories get sacrificed so as usual it's back to the books to get a more accurate history. And even then we must read with a keen eye, in between the lines and compare to other books on the subject.
One of the things that was rare to see in a movie like this is usually when it comes to a black character such as Denzel portrayed, Hollywood will show how the black man out muscled the system or the police or the mob families but they rarely showed how a black man out thought them all, all the while without them knowing it and on that end it was a refreshing change to see even if it was of a man who used his talents and skills and intelligence to do so much harm to his own community.
In the end, Frank Lucas paid a heavy price which was and is important to show and they showed that too.
I welcome your thoughts!
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