Washington, Crowe in "Gangster" movie rank with "Godfather"

Frank Lucas is a business man who cares. Every Thanksgiving, he gives out turkeys. He provides all his brothers with jobs in the New York area, even buying his mother a luxurious mansion completely furnished.

The only problem with Lucas is all his generosity is funded by heroin.

Based on real events, the movie American Gangster tells the parallel stories of Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, and the cop who brings him down, Richie Roberts, played by Russell Crowe.

Beginning with the death of Lucas’ boss and mentor, “Bumpy” Johnson, the film follows Lucas as he travels to Southeast Asia to negotiate directly with the opium growers.

Having locked in a deal to import pure heroin into the States, Lucas sells his product lower than the competitors, raking in huge profits while undercutting both the Mafia and the cops who make money on kickbacks from seizing the dope and selling it back to dealers.

On the other side is Richie Roberts, a man so honest he professes in court that he could not provide a decent home for his son and allows his wife to take full custody, then walks out. He even turns in a million dollars in drug money, an act which earns him the distrust of every cop on the take.

Throughout the movie’s 157-minute run, Lucas keeps out of the public eye, not spending his millions on lavish items as some of his peers do, but on his family and the community. This, combined with the simple fact of his ethnicity, keeps most of the cops guessing as to who he’s working for, since the Mafia should be running all the drugs in New York.

Directed by Ridley Scott, famous for Alien, Gladiator which won Russell Crowe an Oscar for Best Actor, and Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster, is a stunning period piece that shows history without devolving into parody. Much of the dramatic tension is built off the contradictions of both men’s lives.

Lucas sells a hard street drug, but takes his mother to church every Sunday.

Roberts is an honest cop, never taking a bribe, but is unfaithful to his wife, seen with several women throughout the movie.

American Gangster is rated R. The movie excels at setting, acting and mood. This is a film destined to join the ranks of crime classics such as The Godfather and GoodFellas.