2. American Gangster
Ridley Scotts crime epic is for the most part a riveting cat and mouse character study following Russell Crowes determined Detective Richie Roberts and Denzel Washingtons ruthless drug dealing gangster Frank Lucas. Lucas is a formidable presence but also a strangely likeable one. Yes hes a drug dealer peddling his poisonous narcotics upon vulnerable addicts, but hes also charming and charismatic and looks after his ma, so youre in effect manipulated into wishing him well. Nevertheless, hes a ruthless criminal and he has masterminded an incredibly effective operation for many years. Come the end of the movie though, when Roberts finally has his man, Lucas decides to rat everyone out in order to shorten his sentence and suddenly hes something of a hero. Waitwhat? Charismatic he may be, but he caused a lot of pain and suffering and killed people in cold blood. Not to worry though, hes naming names now so its ok to like him. Now obviously, this is a film based on real life events, yet by all accounts its hardly an accurate depiction of the actual story. Numerous people involved with the case have confirmed that the real life Lucas was a fairly vicious, violent and altogether unlikeable chap, not the loveable rogue portrayed by Denzel. Even the real life Richie Roberts criticised the decision to make Lucas into a noble character. I really love American Gangster, so its all the more disappointing that the ending which paints Lucas in such a positive light, just seems so ill-conceived.