"American Gangs": lack of new ideas, hard to become a classic

Shawna 2021-10-18 09:29:09

Text/You Chuang Leng Yu

I. Overview

From the title, we can see the ambition of director Ridley Scott. He strives to build the film into a giant system that outlines the ups and downs of the gang and the police world. Therefore, in addition to the elements often found in gangster movies such as violence, love, and sex, Scott added rich philosophical content such as history, family, and human nature, which undoubtedly improved the grade of "American Gangster" a lot. . The film is full of entertainment, the exquisite pictures, the atmospheric music and the patchy montage editing create a gloomy and contemplative temperament.
However, compared with the classics of similar gangster movies, especially Coppola's "The Godfather", Scorsese's "Pirates Also Known", and Leonne's "Once Upon a Time in America", "American Gangster" is obviously inferior. . Although like many gangster movies, the film sets the event in a certain historical background and portrays it epically. In terms of content, it is small to see the big, and a certain philosophical intention is conveyed through relatively realistic pictures. But on the whole, the film lacks the momentum and passion of the gangster classics. Scott made the film beautifully and smoothly. On the surface it is impeccable, but in fact it is lackluster, failing to inject new creativity or connotation into gangster movies, basically going around in the original genre, without breakthrough.
In terms of narrative, the film adopts a similar performance method to Michael Mann’s "The Wire of Fire", and through the gangster clues of the drug dealer tycoon Frank Lucas played by Denzel Washington, it is incompatible with the mainstream society played by Russell Crowe. Police Rich Roberts spread out the two lines in parallel, and finally connected the two lines through the collusion and competition between the police and the robbers. Frank and Rich formed a unique corresponding relationship. When Frank rose, it was the moment when Rich faced difficulties, such as career failures, colleague rejection, marriage crisis, and so on. And when Frank started to go downhill, Rich unexpectedly took control of the overall situation. The two are like two sides of a mirror, contrasting and reflecting each other.
The relationship between Frank and Rich is very similar to the relationship between Macaulay and Hanna in "The Wire". However, "American Gangster" lacks the unique passion and enthusiasm of "Wire of Fire". Although there was also a rivalry between Frank and Rich at the end of the film, it was obviously not as exciting as "Line of Fire." No one left a deep impression on the scenes of fights and shootouts until now.

2. Gangs and Epics

Combining the ups and downs of gangs with related historical backgrounds can be said to be one of the important factors for the success of gangster movies, because it increases the historical thickness of the film to a certain extent, and also injects certain critical connotations into the film. Such as "The Godfather" or "Once Upon a Time in America." Like "Apocalypse Now", "Once Upon a Time in America" ​​puts the historical background in the controversial Vietnam War period, focusing on portraying social changes and human struggles in this chaotic period. Frank rose in the black district of Harlem, New York, and used the coffins of soldiers killed in the Vietnam War to traffic high-purity drugs, which were then sold at low prices in New York. He is cruel, bold and has a keen business acumen, just like the black godfather of New York. The film is full of anti-war awareness and irony, just like Soderbergh's "Drug Web", but the anti-drug senior officials have to face the embarrassing scene of their daughter taking drugs. In "American Gangs," the coffin of the fallen soldiers became a tool of drug trafficking, and the government anti-drug organization served as an umbrella for drug dealers. The Vietnam War scenes and Nixon's speech on ending the war were continuously broadcast on TV. Ironically, they were stuck in the mud and unable to extricate themselves. Music played a great role in expressing specific content and emotions for the film. The atmosphere is full of true feelings, and the heroism is mixed with exquisiteness. Whether it's the deep percussion music or the lyrical blues music, it leaves a deep impression on people. The best thing is the final battle of the police and the robbers under the background of church music, which seems to imply the end of an era, and Hope and the coming of new life.
The film photography is very particular, and the screen shading is also very decent. Sometimes the black-and-white images are used to highlight the tension and opposition between the characters. Scott adopts the setting corresponding to the Vietnam War, and truly restores the original appearance of an era, anti-war, rock, drug abuse, and sexual liberation... Whether it is the streets of the United States where drugs are rampant, the battlefield in Vietnam, or the poppies everywhere. The tropical jungles are extremely shocking and unforgettable. The fact that the police and bandits colluded and squeezed each other conveyed the loss and helplessness of an era. This is very similar to "The Godfather", "The Way of Pirates" and "Once Upon a Time in America". Frank pursued his unique "American Dream" in this environment. Thanks to the corresponding era, Frank's rise seemed natural.
However, Scott still has not escaped the suspicion of others. Although the film has a certain epic temperament, there is not much content that impresses the audience. It is difficult to distinguish it from other gangster movies. After watching it for a long time, it seems a bit boring.

3. Dreams and Reality

"American Gangster" has a certain degree of realistic temperament, which has been revealed when the film deals with the historical background, and this tendency is even more obvious when dealing with the relationship between the characters. Adapted from a real story, this is one of the gimmicks that gangster movies attract audiences. In fact, few people will pay attention to how real the movie is and how much it is fabricated, but it still affects the way the movie is expressed more or less.
The United States in the 1960s and 1970s was an era of anger and decadence. Drugs and corruption were rampant, and crime and killing took place. In the film, both Frank and Rich have their own dreams, but neither can escape the shackles of reality. Frank intends to let his family live a better life, while Rich is just a policeman who is not corrupt and has a sense of justice. These seemingly simple but difficult to achieve ideals constituted their unique "American Dream", so Frank rose up, and overnight, the driver of the former gang boss turned into a new generation of drug tycoon. However, Rich had to face the suspicion and rejection from colleagues and peers. These things were full of irony in themselves. The film links Frank and Rich together through drugs and corrupt anti-drug police. The police who should have upheld justice have become the role of reselling drugs and profiting from it. The coffin of the fallen soldiers has become a drug trafficking tool, and the glory has disappeared.
Scott interspersed many shots of street drug trafficking and drug abuse, dirty interiors, messy furniture, dead bodies due to drug abuse, crying babies, etc. These realistic shots are very powerful, but they are also pretentious. The suspicion of the article is difficult to smoothly link with the whole film.
When expressing the characters' personalities, the director strives to pursue truth and balance. Although Denzel Washington’s role is relatively eye-catching, Russell Crowe also conscientiously interprets a downturned police profile. Both of them have obvious character defects. Frank is heinous and cruel, but he is very filial to his family, especially his old mother. Although Rich is one of the very few people in the police circle who does not accept bribes, he has a terrible family relationship and personal life. This contrast obscures the inherent moral concepts to a certain extent. Is it better to be a heinous bandit? Is it better to be a downright and honest policeman? It's a bit confusing. This corresponds to the increasingly black and white social reality. Of course, this kind of expression is nothing more than a habitual trick in gangster movies, that is, to get rid of all black people in black, all white in white, and the characters are tall, big, and full.

4. Human Nature and Warmth

"American Gangster" began with Frank's murder plot. Although the victim tried his best to beg for mercy, Frank remained unmoved, threw the fire on the gasoline-filled victim and made up a few shots. This opening is excellent, setting the cruel tone of the film and making the theme of human nature ready to emerge. Of course, Frank is not a completely cold-blooded character. He is filial to his mother and full of love and tenderness to his wife. For Frank, drug trafficking and killing are nothing more than removing the obstacles that prevent him from leading a good life. He must also be bullied by the police and squeezed by other drug dealers. Unlike in "The Godfather," Mike stood up to protect the interests of the family, Frank's rise, accompanied by the fall of the entire family, he dragged his brothers into the water and participated in drug trafficking with him. For Frank, drug trafficking is nothing more than a business, and running a business requires manpower. This starting point is undoubtedly much simpler, but it also created an inevitable tragedy. The film tries to render the details of Frank taking his mother from the south to the north, accompany his mother in church, and Frank's meeting with his wife, which is very tender and expressive. In contrast, Russell Croyin is limited by his role, and he has less room to play. Although there are details about family life, they are largely superficial, giving the impression of just a sense of justice. , But the police whose personal life is in a mess.
After layers of directors’ preparations, the ending of "American Gangster" seems to be natural. After all, Frank’s humanity has not been completely wiped out. Reporting and accusing government officials on the one hand are based on his own conscience and desire to survive, on the other hand, he is dealing in drugs. They are suppressed and bullied by these people when doing business. Frank and Ritchie are a bit sympathetic to a certain extent, because they are both marginalized figures, floating on the edge of the mainstream. So in the end Frank chose to assist Rich in solving the case, and it was logical for Rich to work hard to reduce Frank's sentence.

Generally speaking, "American Gangster" is a good movie, but it is far from the classics. The film has a certain epic temperament and has some success in portraying human nature, but overall it lacks a rattling atmosphere and Unique passion. The content and expression methods lack new ideas, and it is difficult to leave a particularly deep impression on people.

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Extended Reading
  • Jaylan 2022-03-24 09:01:13

    The French drug dealer network's success will only be paid by Laque

  • Frieda 2022-03-23 09:01:12

    The 2 male protagonists are so charming. There is also a supporting role in The Walking Dead, which is really seductive

American Gangster quotes

  • Chinese General: It's not in my best interest to say this Frank, but quitting while you're ahead, is not the same as quitting.

  • Detective Richie Roberts: Good work Frank. You... want a drink or something? Celebrate?

    Frank Lucas: You got any holy water?