American Gangster Review

I got the chance to go and see American Gangster tonight, a movie I really enjoyed. (I actually went to see it by myself, which was a little weird - but I had some free time and ducked off while my wife was out)

Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington are awesome opposing each other in this film. You get the graphic recreate of the drug wars in the USA during the Vietnam war days of the 1970's.

Denzel playing the gangster, was able to build up a massive drug cartel by using his contacts in the US Army to ship the merchandise from Vietnam during the war. Other drug bosses found it hard to compete as Denzel's product was pure and half the price - the middle men were simply cut out.

With so many cops on the take during this era, drugs were everywhere and the Russell Crowe character was a rare breed, persuing the man not the money.

It's a long film, with some great sequences of action. Some amazing quotes too, one in particular from Denzel - "The loudest person in the room is usually the weakest!" as he tried to teach his family that they needed to keep a low profile or risk losing their strong position.

Its so true, so many people - be it criminals or simply successful folks, flaunt their new found success and end up getting chopped down, caught or robbed. If you're on to a good thing, then hey - keep it to yourself, it'll last longer.

Overall, I couldn't get enough of this movie. From the ruthless gangs, to the crooked cops and the sheer lawlessness of the era. Denzel was pure brilliance in his role, in one scene he walks down a busy sidewalk and puts a gun to a rivals head, pulls the trigger in front of family and hundreds of others - amazing scenes!

Make sure you see this one when you get the chance - top movie!