Hello fellow Geeksters,
I've got a feeling that it's going to be a long one today. So grab your Sherlock Holmes hat, cuddle up with a nice cup of tea, and get ready to investigate with me! ;)
Today we're going to chat about a film made by one of the best and most influencing directors of all time, Ridley Scott. Sir "Unbelievably Amazing" Ridley Scott has done a vast number of movies that have to be mentioned in any Top Movies list which will inspire any on who loves and enjoys the pleasure in watching movies. That's why today we'll be discussing, while our jaws will be dropping and eyes will be popping (see what I just did there?), when we read about the wonderful tactics by which Ridley Scott used to direct the film 'American Gangster'.
With this being my own first blog post specifically about films, I'd like to express and, in a way, show off my "relationship" with films. (I'm already feeling eyes being rolled at my ridiculousness haha ;) : Films are my passion. Whenever some friend or parent brings the boundless topic of films into the subject, I'll be completely hooked. Since I was a child, I had the habit of criticising actors. I would comment and say; "Come on! You could've made it more believable!" Anyway, in my family, movies are part of the routine. My dad used to have his own DVD rental shop, so you can imagine how fun it was for me to visit a paradise filled with the most amazing creatures (okay, now I'm just being weirder than usual). Every night, my dad would bring us a different film to see. My point is this : Films managed to make me happy whenever I felt down. They sculpted my desires to act, direct and write. They nourished me with creativity, entertainment, inspiration and interaction with the characters. They may mean all kinds of different things to different people. They produce and show the different interpretations of human kind. They make us laugh, cry and sometimes they make us reach a whole new perspective of the world. This is the true significance of movies.
Anyway, let's not go out of point!
The film is actually a true story and it's set in the 1970s during the Vietnam War, New York America. It's about an honest "good-cop" detective trying to bring down Frank Lucas who structured the organisation of selling and supplying the very popular drug "Blue Magic". This is quite an impressive film which was gripping and wonderfully done.
The character of Frank Lucas was really elaborate, the type in which you have to watch till the end of the film to understand him. What I noticed in him was that he repeatedly used the catchphrase "My man". My interpretation and thoughts about this are that if you came by to notice, he used the quote in times where he was dealing with, either competition or defence. I think that his "My man" intended to intimidate the opposing characters. It was imposed in a way as if he wanted to say "I'll be back for you" (usually towards those who owed money to Bumpy or towards detectives) where he's showing repugnance and anger. Another fact about Frank Lucas is that he took great care of his family. Proof of this underestimated fact is : 1) He bought his mother a mansion and 2) provided money for their needs. But the greatest proof is when his nephew told him that he wanted to be just like him. If you observed well (which I'm sure of Geeksters), you would've noticed the sign of concern on Frank's face. He was actually troubled and didn't want his nephew to depend on the same dirty business. He wanted the best for his family. Another thing to mention, is that when he was about to go after Trupo to kill him, his dear mother made it clear that he wasn't the type that went about killing cops. He respected her enough to not go after him. The scene where Frank beats the crap out of Huey, shows the true character of his blindness over his wrongdoing. Denzel Washington is an amazing, thrilling and exceptionally good actor. Sr. Scott once again chose correctly!
On another note, Russell Crowe was equally astounding. He portrayed the character of Richie Roberts. His character was quite a workaholic. He tried to balance his job trying to track down Frank and also trying to beat his ex-wife at court. With the character of Richie, we see how much of a good cop he is, while he's competing with the bad cops (one of them is Josh Brolin. No need to elaborate on his awesomeness). We empathize with him and feel his struggle to catch Lucas. Russell Crowe is in a way a male muse for Ridley Scott (which is in no way a bad thing! Geniuses think alike and both have amazing beards. Don't judge me I love beards!) He's directed Gladiator, A Good Year and Robin Hood alongside Russell with the lead role. Russell has done an impeccably and excellently well-played imitation. No one could've played a Russell Crowe part any better, in ANY movie).
In the last 5/15 minutes of the film, we finally watch Frank and Richie's meeting. At first, you may think how much of a bad ass Frank would be by threatening him. Then, it turns out that they unite and work together. A Roald Dahl moment - EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.
In this film we also see a breakout performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who proofed from the very start how much of a star he would turn out to be.
I had to include this in my review : While listening to a piece of the director's commentary, I found out that the scene where Trupo comes out the front door to see his beautiful car getting exploded to pieces, wasn't discussed with Josh Brolin. So this little stunt was totally unplanned and it showed how good of an actor he is, since he was composed (as in surprised) and still in his character's shoes.
On a slightly negative tone, I thought that the film was a bit monotonic. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I thought that the movie lacked from one element : SUSPENSE. I knew that Richie had the capability of catching him and that he would later on do that. It may be that I'm incorrect, especially since it is difficult to do this since it's based on true events, but I still wanted to share this thought. At the end of the day, this was a really good movie and it was clear that it was a hard movie to shoot, but the hard work paid of.
Thanks fellow Geeksters for letting me share my LONG (emphasis on long) thoughts. Please don't hesitate to comment on your own opinions. I would love to hear different perspectives on this movie. I salute you Geekster :))
Love,
Rakela
xx
Credit : Just Jared
Credit : Hd-Wallpapers
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