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By Michael Clarke

In the opening scene of American Gangster, Denzel Washington's character Frank Lucas douses a man in petrol, sets him alight and shoots him. Not long after, we're introduced to Russell Crowe's New York detective Richie Roberts. He's beating a police informant to within an inch of his life. And that sets the tone for Ridley Scott's film. There are no real heroes in this story. Lucas may be the drug kingpin, getting his local community involved in either working for him, or taking the heroin he's selling, but the police force is as corrupt as he is, and even members of the US military are more than willing to support his illegal operations.

American Gangster, directed by Scott, with a script by Steven Zaillian, is based on real events. It's 1968 and Frank Lucas is becoming a powerful man in the poor and mostly black areas of New York. When he notices that the Italian mafia with the assistance of the police is selling poor quality smack on the streets, he spies an opening. Lucas begins to import pure grade heroin from south-east Asia, taking advantage of the US presence in Vietnam to bring it home. Meanwhile, Detective Richie Roberts is on the outer at the police department for his refusal to take part in corrupt activities. Striking out on his own he decides to launch an investigation into the drug trade in the big apple. These two men who are worlds apart in so many ways share an obsession with achieving their goals, and it will bring them into collision.

American Gangster has echoes of many cops and crime films from the past, and I don't think that's a mistake as Ridley Scott has often been happy to pay tribute to the movies that have influenced him. Obviously there's its connections to the greatest organized crime film The Godfather. Both have central characters who do bad things, but also operate by a code of honour and value the ties of family. It pays homage to The French Connection by having a flawed anti-hero cop who goes after a more glamorous villain, not to mention the frequent scenes involving New York's elevated train system. It also reminded me of Michael Mann's Heat in that it's a fascinating study of two men from different sides of the law who must eventually confront each other. Like that film, Washington and Crowe are rarely seen together on screen, but when it happens, it's powerful stuff.

Ridley Scott is often criticized for being a film maker more concerned with style than substance, and indeed when you think of Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, it's often the images that are brought to mind rather than the stories themselves. In my opinion that doesn't make him a bad director, rather he's a film maker who understands the supremacy of the image, and treats the screen like a canvas. That's a very good thing. And once again, he brings a restrained but impressive visual flourish to American Gangster. The locations and set design have such an authentic feel to them. The meticulous attention to little details pays off, and truly transports you to New York of the late 60s and early 70s. It's not gaudy flares, afros and flower children, but the feeling of a run down big apple, and a disillusioned Nixon nation is brilliantly realized.

But what's really enjoyable about American Gangster is that it's got a great story to tell with two absorbing characters at its centre. Zaillian and Scott allow the story to build slowly, gently shading in the characters of Lucas and Roberts. Neither man is a hero, but by the end, you really find yourself fascinated by them. Of course it helps to have Washington and Crowe in those roles. Both are terrific, bringing movie star presence and quiet authority to a complex narrative. They're two of the most natural performers around and they give anchor to the story. (Incidentally it's the first time they've worked together since the appalling Virtuosity in 1996.) Cuba Gooding Jr, Josh Brolin and Ruby Dee also deliver impressive work.

American Gangster might suffer in comparisons to The Godfather, The French Connection or even The Departed, but stands on its own merits as a first-class, expertly made film about ambition, corruption and honour.

Director/Producer/Editor: Ridley Scott

Classification: MA

We rate it: ****

Movie Trailer:

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