American Gangster - Saved by the stars

I know that films which are supposed to be 'based on a true story' can sometimes be a little, er, 'liberal' with the truth and, seeing as I haven't researched how accurate 'American Gangster' is, I'm judging it on pure entertainment values alone.  In the seventies, Denzil Washington plays an up and coming drugs kingpin from Harlem who quickly rises through the ranks to form such a vast empire that it also includes three quarters of the New York police department.  However, one law officer who refuses to be corrupted is played by fellow acting heavyweight, Russell Crowe, who vows to bring in Washington and all those he's employed - whether drug dealers of police officers alike.

Seeing as it's based on a real life case, they couldn't really put in wall-to-wall shoot-outs and car chases, mixed with unexpected twists and double crosses.  Therefore, what you're left with is quite a subdued little film which could - if in the wrong hands - actually be quite dull.  Luckily, with the acting pedigree in front of the camera and Ridley Scott behind it (I must confess... I only knew he directed it when his name came up in the end credits!) a film that's actually over two hours never feels like it outstays its welcome.

I guess the only real criticism is that the two leads never really get the chance to play off each other like you may want them to.  But then the story dictates that 'cop' and 'robber' don't spend that much time having coffee and donuts together in real life, therefore why should they ever really meet on screen until handcuffs are involved?  In that was I found it kind of like 'Heat' which was the first film to properly star the other great acting heavyweights Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.  Many went to see it because of their star power, only to be left a little disappointed at the lack of time they spend on screen together.

Both Washington and Crowe play 'flawed' characters - both having their good and bad sides and you'll sympathise and despise them in equal measures.  It may not be up there with some of the greatest 'cops and robbers' films and it definitely doesn't really fit into the 'gangster' genre, but, if you're in the mood for something deliberately slowly-paced then this one is worth a couple of hours of your time.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that