When I was in San Francisco for my birthday in November, I really wanted to go see AMERICAN GANGSTER. And I finally had the chance to watch Denzel’s latest film last week. MY MAN! I am in love with Denzel all over again!
My obsession with Denzel began in college when my roommate at the time, Laura, put up posters of Denzel Washington all over her room. We would collect all kinds of magazines simply because Denzel was on the cover. We must have watched Malcolm X a million times and never got tired of it. I even vowed to name my son Denzel when I will have a kid. By the way, we share the name nickname: Dee!
Denzel Washington is the first African-American to receive two Oscars and the most nominated African-American actor in the history of Academy Awards. He’s best known for portraying real people in films, Steve Biko in CRY FREEDOM, Malcolm X in MALCOLM X, Reuben Carter in THE HURRICANE, Herman Boone in REMEMBER THE TITANS just to name a few. And now the latest adding to his works, Denzel Washington stars in AMERICAN GANGTER as Frank Lucas, once the most notorious drug kingpin.
AMERICAN GANGSTER opens with “Bumpy” Johnson (he had a big bump on the back of his head and nicknamed Bumpy) walking in the neighborhood of Harlem with his driver Frank Lucas. Then Bumpy had a massive heart attack, causing his life. Frank was by his side when Bumpy passed away. That was 1968.
The film didn’t provide any details on Lucas’ background.
Frank Lucas was born on September 9, 1930 and hailed from a little town called La Grange in North Carolina. He was the oldest child and in those days he had to put food on the table for the family. He witnessed crime at an early age when Ku Klux Klan shot his cousin to death. Frank Lucas may have been a man with little, almost to zero education but he was a wise guy, someone with a Ph.D. in street survival skills.
Frank Lucas arrived in Harlem in the summer of 1946 and soon after he began working for Bumpy Johnson. Even though Frank Lucas looked up to Bumpy Johnson as his mentor, he disagreed with Bumpy’s belief that all wealth should be shared. “I was a different sonofabitch. I wanted all the money for myself!” says Frank Lucas in an interview with the New York Magazine. In the heydays, Frank Lucas would bring in $1 million USD cash on a daily basis. He was BIG PIMPIN’ in the 70s
Some may wonder what prompted Denzel Washington to accept the role of a heroin kingpin. In most of his film works, he often plays law enforcements figures and military servicemen. After you have a chance to watch AMERICAN GANGSTER, you’ll appreciate the great paradox presented in AMERICAN GANGSTER. There is a message to be delivered: every man has to pay the price for his wrongdoing no matter which side you’re on.
As an organized crime leader, Frank Lucas is a family man and lives by a strict code of disciplines. When he prospers, his mother along with his brothers relocates from North Carolina to New Jersey. As the good straight-up cop, Detective Richie Roberts attends night school to study law and attempts to nail the crooked cops but his personal life is a total mess.
Whether you’re a fan of Denzel Washington or Russell Crowe, it is indeed a treat to watch these two Oscar winners to star in AMERICAN GANGSTER. During 158 minutes of viewing pleasure, they only appear together on the screen for the last twenty minutes. It is no doubt that they both put in some serious efforts in preparing for their roles.
Some may find AMERICAN GANGSTER more like a documentary than a feature film. It is based on a true story but according to director Ridley Scott, nothing was exaggerated. However, the real life Frank Lucas gave a thumbs-up for Denzel’s performance but admitted that this film is only about 20% accurate. Nonetheless, this film has top-notch actors that put together an excellent film for the audience.
Here’s something gossip that the moviegoers might be interested to know. AMERICAN GANGSTER was supposed to go into production in 2005. Denzel Washington was cast to portray Frank Lucas while Benicio del Toro was hired to play Detective Richie Roberts. When the project was doomed, Denzel Washington was paid $20 millions according to his pay-or-play contract with the studio and Benicio del Toro received $5 millions. When the film resumed production, Denzel Washington met with his real life counterpart and learned to speak with the southern accent.
Nominations for the 65th Golden Globe Awards were announced today in Los Angeles. AMERICAN GANGSTER has a few nominations, including best picture in drama, best actor in drama and best director. And I have high hopes for this film to win a few Oscars, especially for Denzel Washington. I’ll be rejoiced to see Denzel Washington to win his third Academy Award in his career.
For some odd reasons, black films don’t do well in Taiwan’s box office. Dreamgirls is one of my favorite films from 2006. I was deeply moved and touched by the performance and the music. Unfortunately it didn’t win the hearts of the Taiwanese audience. My wishful thinking is for AMERICAN GANGSTER to be number 1 in the box office when it opens in Taiwan on December 28th. This is a must-see film if you can choose one film to watch this year. AMERICAN GANGSTER is IT!
