Film Review: America Gangster

American Gangster @ IMDB

Last time we did the equation Russel Crowe + Ridley Scott (ignoring A Good Year for obvious reasons) we had the cinematic juggernaut that was Gladiator. Unleash Hell and all that.

So what do we get this time? We get Russel Crowe as an incorruptible New York cop tasked with bringing down major drug lords. A pure brand of heroin is flooding the streets and no one knows where it's coming from. But wait, who's this in a very expensive looking chinchilla fur coat? Why, it's academy award winning actor Denzel Washington!

The easiest comparison: Heat, in that you have two heavyweight actors that don't actually share a scene until the end. Other nods and hats tipped to include The French Connection and Goodfellas. Illustrious company, that goes without saying. Can the film stand amongst them?

Yeah. It's not quite the masterpiece it wants to be but you can't fault it. Both leads are great, the look of the film is superb, the plot engrossing. This is Russel Crowe from The Insider rather than Cinderella Man, which can only be a good thing. Denzel is Denzel.

My only concern: it hasn't quite got the iconic scene that the other films have: the bank robbery from Heat, the car chase from French Connection, pretty much any scene you fancy from Goodfellas. Don't get me wrong, the film is great but you just wanted that one great scene to push it over the top. Whether or not this means that the film will stand the test of time is a question that will have to wait for a while.

It's also a long film so pack a cushion.

So, great film, no complaints. My only problem was that my free cinema card didn't work so I had to pay. That sucked.

The film gets a pair of knuckle dusters, the ideal thing to beat lowlifes with to prove who is in charge.