American Gangster Film Review by Steven Zaillian

A Film Review November 27, 2007 prenomen American gangster Genre mobster Writer Steven Zaillian Director Ridley Scott control and Place of perfor domaince November 21, 2007 at my house On November 21, 2007, I was ground go for break and watched an fire-historic plastic study titled American Gangster. The occupy was written by Steven Zaillian and was directed by Ridley Scott. American Gangster was a gangster icon that reflected bottom on the pass. The perfor publicce environment was at my house in the living room on a DVD player.The room was dark, cool, and rattling comfortable, which make it very relaxing and easier to watch and study the characterization. American Gangster took place in Harlem, New Jersey, in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a celluloid that was base on a true write up, of a man by the name of forthright Lucas. American Gangster was basic wholey well-nigh unmannerly Lucas and his life as a close-looking epoch business man, big time street-pharmacist, but most of all a family man. Frank Lucas was a business man of street drugs he was a gangster, who transported drugs from Bangkok in the Vietnam War to the eastern cost of the United States.Frank Lucas was not upright and old street-pharmacist, he was cleverness he had good deal passing for him, people on his side, like the state of war, the mob, but most of all his family. He got his coin up and had his family had his family move from North Carolina over to New Jersey, in a big white house, this itinerary his brothers could work for him and his clientele would increase and he would save coin because his family was working for him. Lucas was also smart because he was not like the other gangsters, he did not flash around his money, and he did not wear loud colored c striationhing.Lucas wore regular suites, as if he was a true business man, he did not have anybody on to him until people started dying from the drugs he had out on the streets, called low-spirited john. It wa s called Blue Magic because it was a pure drug, nothing in it was mixed. Lucas had the whole east coast on this Blue Magic he had the Queens, Bergen Country, N. J. , Brooklyn, and the Bronx. This is when a man by the name of Rickie Roberts came in he was a man who worked for the legality and in a prosecutors office.Rickie Roberts was a good cope, at least he persuasion, he did something no cope would ever do, he turned in nine-hundred-eighty-seven-thousand dollars unmarked cash and did not one legal philosophy officers prise him for it. Roberts had a lot in his life, he had a news whose mother was taking him to court for custody of the child, he was red to naturalise to become a lawyer and his state bar test was flood tide up, and he wants to catch Frank Lucas. Roberts finds out some the Blue Magic by his partner dying from it, then that is when he started letting his admit bulge out by wearing the flashy coat his wife bought for him.This is when Roberts had the man he was looking for he just needed a way to stop him. In the end Lucas finally was caught coming out from church, by Roberts. He was convicted of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and was sentenced to seventy-years in prison but he only served fifteen-years and was released in 1991. His brothers were convicted on drug trafficking. His mother moved back to North Carolina, and his wife moved to Puerto Rico. However, Rickie Roberts quit the prosecutors office and became a disaffirmation attorney his first client was Frank Lucas.The film is episodic because of the scant(p) scenes and numerous characters. The type of message I received from this motion-picture show was come int sale drugs, because you only in up in dickens places behind bars or six feet under. It also gave me the feeling of a person getting fast money not working great(p) for what they want, but good things come to people who are patience and work hard. American Gangster is compared to the American aspiration and the A merican dream is defined as having a nice house, good paying job, kids and a dog, and no worries in the world.The way I envisage American Gangster relates to that is, Frank Lucas did kind of lived the American dream and beyond because he had a nice house for his family and a good paying illegal job, a dog but no kids of his own, I guess his brothers were his kids. The purpose of this film was to inform audiences about a, true life reputation, of a man who well-tried to live the American dream by selling drugs and his negative results. The compose of this film was very unique. I thought the film was a work of considerable technical as well as artistic merit, because it makes you respect and acknowledge the fact that this was a smart dangerous man.I hypothesise, Zaillians, pull down of view of this movie was to express how Frank Lucass life rightfully was, and to get the audience to feel the hurt that Lucas went through. I thought the story and the theme was interesting because it showed how greed, wealth, progress, and success can lead to trouble in psyche life. I think the more money you have, the more problems you allow travel to. The reason why I think this is because Lucas, over the time became avid and he was not able to receive drugs anymore because the war was over. So he started to have problems with everything, life, family, and his wife.I thought the story gave a fresh insight into human condition of wealth and greed. I thought the American Gangster was based and a portrayal source of historical events, for example, when Robertss partner cancel outed the murky man for drugs at that apartment, and all the black people were outside the apartment ready to charge the door. It seemed like a riot to me. The whole movie was a historical event because it was based on a true story, which is historical. The director uses a lot of money as a symbol of detestation and trouble.I think this because everybody who had money or was unfeigned wealthy in this movie was evil and had a lot of troubles in their life. The irony of it was Rickie Roberts. For example, when he had the chanced to have a lot of money he did not take it, he turned it in instead, and everybody thought he was stupid for it, but really he was smart for turning in the money. I think this because the money would have brought evil and trouble to his life and since he turned it in, I think he was the real wealthy person because in the end he to Frank Lucas, he passed his law exam, and was able to become a defense attorney.The directing of this movie was great. I thought the story was told in a visually interesting way, because it showed a lot of action and it was not just about gangsters it was also about learning how to survive in the streets. The special make were very effective, the way characters would get shot looked real, but most of all when they showed characters use the drugs and the way their skin would look after wards. The director did a great job on t he location and studio environment because the sanitary effects and picture was nice a clear.I think American Gangster did not really show, Ridley Scotts, personal style of movies, because this movie was about someones life and they had to make it like Frank Lucass life was back in those days. I thought the actors performances were guided by the director effectively. The acting of American Gangster was great. The stars of American Gangster were Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Cuba Gooding, J. R. I thought their performances were real life like it gave me that real street life feeling. These are also all magnificent actresses.The actors who play the supporting roles were so effective I would have thought they were professionals. The actors do American Gangster, Frank Lucass, story seem believable, serious, and heart fulfilling. The editing was interesting and effective. The sequences do develop emotional impact. For example, when he bought his mother and his family the new house, to see the happy look on his mothers face when she was told that it was her house, was so emotional it gave that deep feeling like when you want to cry for something that is good.The singular or symbolic juxtaposition I thought added interest was when Rickie Roberts was nerve-wracking to put the pieces unitedly by taking pictures trying to put the pieces together by taking pictures of suspects and putting their pictures in order so the story would come together and it would get him closer to Frank Lucas and the bottom of the story. In the end Frank Lucas put all the pictures in order and told the story. The achievement elements of the movie were effective.The setting of the movie was effective, because it starts with Frank Lucas killing someone by setting them on fire and then he shot them. This make me feel like it was going to be a really good action movie. The lighting was effective it set the imaginations. The music set the mood as well, when it was s ad, happy, and intense. The costumes and makeup were effective the actors played their parts well when it came down to acting like an old school gangster. For example, when Frank Lucas went into the hood to sale his products he was made up in an afro and long beard, he would be in disguised.The special effects were effective, when they showed the dead bodies on the Army plane, they looked real. in that location were no continuity breaks while watching this film. The elements that I was able to unwrap were the music, the special effects, and the makeup. My general impression of the film was great, I really enjoyed it. The films strengths were the special effects and the acting. For example, the special effects were good when someone was shot and when they showed the dead bodies in the army bags.The all around best, I think Denzel Washington is a good actress in every movie he makes. The films weaknesses was none, I do not think I seen any weaknesses. I was not disturbed by anythin g I was impressed with the whole movie. The movie was great I would recommend others to vex this film. The iconographic that I came upon was when Frank Lucas speaks of being to loud, like the big bright suits they wore. This made me think of the street-pharmacist today, their profile is big cars with a loud color rouge job and loud music with flashy clothing.I think adumbration was used when Rickie Roberts gets Lucass cousin to snitch, then he tells him that Frank Lucas result find out he snitched then he will kill him because he was his cousin. The films political significance was the use of violence, when the whole world became greedy and wanted money and drugs. The social significance was the study of the society in Harlem, went from bad to everybody on drugs and dying, which I would call it social dead zone. The film historical significance was that it was based on a true story.If the film was from another culture, their conventions would be interesting and unusual. The movie did have subtitles it was necessary and honest to read the subtitles. The effect it had was good I was able to understand what was going on in the movie and not get confused. I think American Gangster can not be a cataclysm because it was based on a true story of someones life. My critical perspective of this movie was that it was very unique, never seen anything like it, I feel that it will reduce the numerous of people who sale drugs, and overall it was an in creditable movie.