By Chris Alexis

What is it with good movies having the word “American” in front of them?

American Beauty, American Pie, American Psycho, American History X, American Movie… and now American Gangster.

And when I say good movie, I mean it. This movie is a definite recommend.

This movie tells the true story of Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington), an African-American gangster in Harlem who rises above the Mafia families in the drug trade in the 1970s. Getting the drugs directly from the source in Vietnam and cutting out the middle man, he sells better drugs at half the price.

On his tail is Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe), one of the few honest cops left on the force. It sounds almost cliché, and who knows how “true” the movie version of this “true story” is… but apparently the real Lucas and Roberts were on-set as consultants.

The acting here is top notch. Washington plays his role with a coldness and intensity that isn’t overdone. Crowe plays his cop with dedication. He is a master actor, disappearing into every role he plays.

The only thing this movie really has going against it is the running time. It’s about two-and-a-half hours. And it drags in some places. But not too bad.

The violence can be intense (especially in our introduction to Frank Lucas when he sets another man on fire…) but nothing than today’s audiences aren’t used to.

If you go out to the multiplex this weekend, I would definitely recommend checking this one out.