: American Gangster
This is a terrific film. It’s long at over two-and-a-half hours, but I wasn’t bored for a second. It’s a complicated true story set in the late sixties/early seventies about a black man’s rise to power in Harlem. After 15 years as a sidekick, when the old druglord dies, Frank wants to take his place but discovers no one will let him. So Frank makes his own way, bypassing the middlemen and bringing his own heroin into Manhatten via a drug connection in Thailand. This results in a purer product that he sells cheaper than anyone else, and overnight he’s a multimillionaire. But he’s smart, keeping himself low-key and invisible, so few even know he’s the one behind the drugs. Meanwhile, we follow the career of a police officer who’s put in charge of a special drug-enforcement team designed to bring down the top drug leaders. These parallel stories culminate in the cop figuring out the black man’s the leader (unusual back when Italian gangs ruled) and trying to bring him down. Terrific writing, performances, and film-making. Great epic story, fascinating moral lessons, and entertaining as well.
Topic: [/movie] |
