Born and bred

'American Gangster' puts a new spin on mobster stereotype

By: Tim Goessling

Posted: 10/19/07

America is the land of freedom, cheeseburgers and an extra side of French fries. It's a land of skyscrapers that soar to the heavens like the aspirations of the people who inhabit them. It's a land of purple haze surrounding mountains at sunset.

Most inhabitants of this great land are honest folks on the grind to make a living. That other small percent are the outlaws, the criminals and the gangsters.

And they, too, are all American.

The first thing that strikes you about the film "American Gangster" is how much the title conveys about the film. In the universe of criminal films, most gangsters are Italian, Spanish or Irish. But now we have our first "American" gangster - the title fits Denzel Washington's character perfectly.

It's almost patriotic to think that this gangster, this criminal, is a product of America and not of foreign influence. He wasn't made in the sun-soaked land of Sicily; he was made here in the land of free.

Washington's "Gangster" character appeals to us because we as Americans are fascinated by the underworld. Gangsters fascinate us because we love their work ethic and dedication to succeeding at all costs. We love them as long as they don't affect us.

"Anybody who has had a hard time cashing a check enjoys watching someone beat the system. It's amusing," said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture, and a television, radio and film professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

But all this hype would be nothing if the film wasn't made, and shockingly this is a film that should have come out years ago. The film was originally slated to come out in 2005 and was directed by Antoine Fuqua of "Training Day" fame. However, disputes with the studio over content and an inflating budget lead the film to cancellation. The project was then resurrected by producer Brian Grazer.

Grazer is a big-shot producer who is responsible for "24," "A Beautiful Mind" and "Inside Man," and he put together the current dream lineup for the film. He got Ridley Scott, a skilled director who had worked with Russell Crowe in "Gladiator" to shoot the film. Scott's brother, Tony, had previously directed Denzel Washington in "Déjà Vu" and "Man on Fire."

The three major players have all won or been nominated for Academy Awards. It's a perfect matchup and one that almost seems to be good to be true.

But when Grazer and Scott weren't satisfied with just that lineup, they went out and put together an amazing supporting cast. Cuba Gooding Jr., a face recently limited to lame comedies like "Boat Trip," finally has a role to sink his teeth into. Also on the screen is Chiwetel Ejiofor, a fast-rising star seen in last year's masterful "Children of Men." And let us not forget the rappers: Common, the RZA and recently incarcerated T.I. all share the screen.

Speaking of rappers, Jay-Z is releasing an album to go along with "Gangster." He calls it "a conceptual album that he was inspired to make after going to see a screening of the film." The first two singles, "Blue Magic" and "Roc Boys (And the Winner is)," have generated serious buzz.

It's a story with a stellar cast to back it up. Denzel's performance as a corrupt cop in "Training Day" was a masterpiece, and Russell Crowe rarely makes a bad film. With Grazer aboard and Hova supporting the film, the film is looking good to be, dare I say, an "American" classic.