My wife and I saw American Gangster in the theater when it was first released, and it didn't stick with me back then. Last night we rewatched it, and we both loved it. We took a look at the cast and were blown away by how many great actors are in it, including one of my favorite unsung heroes, Ritchie Coster.
The only big complaint is that the evolution of the relationship between the two main characters was only explained in text at the end of the film. That to me is just as interesting than the story of how they got there. It was already a long film, but I think another half hour at least to go into that relationship would've done the story better justice.
Regardless, great acting all the way around, which tells me it was great directing. I'm often left cold with Scott's directing, so this was a pleasant surprise.
Denzel Washington was more dimensional here than I've seen in some of his performances, so he drew me in more. I compare this performance with him in The Pelican Brief, where I couldn't stand what he did. I feel like he sometimes has a tendency just to make his character suave and standoffish without warmth, leaving you with somewhat of an empty shell.
Playing a tough guy is an art form, and I think it's very difficult to do well for most actors. I look at Michael Marsden, who tries to get their by summoning an indigestion face the whole time, and I never buy it. Then you take Sean Penn in Mystic River, and I can't help but buy everything he's doing. A tough character is still a human being, and if the character is played one dimensionally, they become uninteresting.
That said, Denzel Washington was pretty great in American Gangster, but largely within his standard mannerisms. Russell Crowe was just totally his standard mannerisms, but I think it worked, and he never leaves me cold in any role. They both come from the Christopher Walken same-guy-in-every-movie school of acting, which can be great, but can also be just tiring.
The big draw for me here was the Prince of The City / Serpico / Night Falls on Manhattan "dirty cop all over" feel to it all. Just a picture of a city drowning in corruption and evil all around. In stories like this, where the evil is so pervasive, it to some degree forces a confrontation between the protagonist's soul and the world around the. What's horrific is that Serpico, Prince Of The City, and American Gangster are all based on true stories, and Night Falls On Manhattan is partially based on one too. Brutal.
Devil In a Blue Dress is seriously underrated.
