Alternative to What: "American Gangster" (2007)

Denzel Washington
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified. 

THIS WEEK:
American Gangster (2007)
- Alternative To -
The Nice Guys (2016)

In the world of cinema, there are few archetypes who have sustained for as long as the gangster. Whether it be Edward G. Robinson in the 30's and 40's, or even The Godfather and GoodFellas, cinema loves to root for the bad guy. Of course, they also like to root for the good guy under the right circumstances. This weekend marks the release of The Nice Guys, which is a film that pits to Los Angeles detectives into a case that is a little scummy. With a script by Shane Black, it is likely to be full of rich and dark humor that is what he does best. However, if one doesn't want to walk over to a theater to see the film, but still wants to see Russell Crowe in a crime movie as the hero, it would be worth trotting over to American Gangster to see how long he has been doing this role.
Admittedly, the film isn't quite the perfect platform for those wanting to see a great Crowe performance. He does play the good guy, and one who does his best to track down Denzel Washington's notorious gangster character. It's a violent film, and one that is so intricate and detailed that it may not necessarily be the best if you want a tonally similar film. However, the darkness does result in one of the more fascinating and underrated performances of the decade from Washington, whose confidence is on full display. With a strong supporting cast, this is a mob movie that may feel similar in some respects, but has rarely been told from this perspective.
The unfortunate thing is that Washington's career has since caused him to play this role with subpar scripts. He is capable of being cocky in ways that makes him a strong actor. However, it is almost in a comical way by comparison to American Gangster. In this film, he manages to get such a thorough and complicated backstory that his demeanor makes sense. It's both a shield and the reflection of a tough life. By the end, the story may have ended on a somewhat predictable note, but the life of Washington's character is so rich and unsympathetic that he is a looming threat. In a year that also gave us No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, it's strange that his villainous role failed to get any traction at The Oscars.


If one must make any comparisons to The Nice Guys, American Gangster's similarity is likely that they're both cat and mouse games. While Washington's story is infinitely more interesting, Crowe manages to play a police officer well enough. By the third act when they finally catch each other, there's a tense procedural at play that allows Crowe to hold his own against the more interesting character. It is, after all, the right thing to do. Evil must be punished and in some strange way, good is the bad guy here. Even then, American Gangster is a film that manages to show the crime drama in ways that are nonetheless interesting and unique without sympathizing too much or painting one side as being more favorable.
It is't likely that The Nice Guys will be as dark. However, this recommendation services more as a chance to see Crowe doing a different kind of crime drama. It is one that may not reflect him as the best actor in the film, but his thankless task as the good guy definitely adds some perspective to his character. Of course, there's many other titles to have chosen for this particular entry. However, it only felt right to show how different the genre can be and still give a captivating product. While I am unsure if the new film will be as inspired as we'd hope, there's definitely evidence of why this genre continues to thrive and actors continue to return to it decade after decade.

Comments