BY: JERRY P

Directed by the legendary Ridley Scott, and featuring the dynamic duo of powerhouse lead actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, American Gangster had the potential to be a great movie. Ultimately, it falls short.

The first thing that struck me about “American Gangster” is the sheer volume of shots in the movie. It must have been a bear to shoot, assemble, and edit: there are at least 3,000 individual shots in the final edition, and who knows how many didn’t make the cut. Only someone with Ridley Scott's vast experience could handle the complexity and multitude of separate shots and keep things clear and properly articulated, making sure the flow of images is smooth and easily grasped.

The second thing is how the two leads mesh and complement each other. One critic felt there was an imbalance between the two characters - Frank Lucas (Washington) is more dynamic and dominant than Richie Roberts (Crowe), whose part is written “too dull.” I will say this: Russell Crowe is more forceful and vital in “3:10 to Yuma” than he is as Detective Roberts. He seems more contained - restricted - as a character, which is probably how Scott wanted him to be. Washington has more room to move as a character and he has more screen time; he's the focus of the story and the one who propels the action.

Besides, Frank Lucas is more together in a lot of ways, if not morally. (Consider what he did to the Harlem community, which the movie barely touches on.) He is celebrated as a fantastic businessman who makes huge profits by going to the source of heroin in Thailand during the Vietnam War, thus eliminating the cost of middlemen. He then undercuts the competition with product that is better and purer, and he can sell it for less. He calls the smack ‘Blue Magic.’ One FBI agent gives away his racism when he argues no black man could run such a successful operation; some Italian mafioso must be behind him, directing traffic.

In contrast, Richie Roberts is a slovenly character, a loose canon. His wife is divorcing him, his son is a stranger to him, so his personal life - by comparison -  seems to be less together than the hyper-organized Lucas. But he’s honest as the day is long, and incorruptible; he’s a real bulldog in his pursuit of the target, which is why his superior makes him the man in charge of the task force appointed to get the goods on Lucas and destroy his cash cow.

Lucas brings the heroin to the States with the help of friendly agents in the military, all associates who receive a nice cash reward (Frank is always generous to people he trusts). In fact, his operation is meant to support a lot of family and friends. (It is said he made $150 million selling product in Harlem.) For the most part we see Frank in good light, as a sharp businessman, a gentleman, conservative in dress and manner, circumspect, and a shrewd politician. But his dark side emerges on occasion and he can explode into a man of extreme violence and ruthlessness. When he releases his anger, he's as formidable as Tony Soprano in a rage. But his stance in public as an anonymous African-American is finally made ineffective when he violates his own rule of thumb - stay cool, look ordinary, and blend in with the background - by wearing a fancy, expensive, and loud fur coat that his wife buys him for Christmas to a boxing match. Richie Roberts takes note of him and snaps his first photograph of Frank, thus initiating the drug dealer's eventual downfall. Frank has made it a practice to chastise associates who dress loudly and bring attention to who they are; ironically, by not obeying his own rule of thumb, the dismantling of his private empire begins.

There is a further irony: once Richie busts Lucas, they discover they like each other. Indeed, they are two sides of the same coin, only on different sides of the law. After Roberts becomes a defense attorney - a goal he had been pursuing for some time - he becomes Lucas’s lawyer. Because of Frank’s cooperation, and his naming names in a corrupt police force, he gets off relatively light and is out of prison today and lives in New York. He is in his seventies.

A word about the acting: the Oscar buzz is about Denzel Washington and Josh Brolin. Brolin plays Detective Trupo, a hard as nails cop who intimidates everyone he has to squeeze money or cooperation out of. He’s vile and vicious, and goes nose to nose with both Frank and Richie, letting them know the score - that is, what his take on any deal is. His performance reminds me of the job Mark Walberg did in “The Departed,” as the salty, rough-spoken Detective who keeps everyone honest. But Trupo keeps everyone corrupt. Walberg was nominated for an Oscar and I suspect Brolin’s vigorous and quality performance will be too. Eighty-three year old Ruby Dee, who plays Frank’s mother, does a nice turn too, particularly in one important scene.

And what is there to say about Denzel? He’s always solid gold, always bankable. He’ll probably be nominated too. Finally, there is Ridley Scott’s direction, which also might be recognized with a nomination.

“American Gangster” is a hard-boiled crime story that has the contemporary flavor of mystery writer Mike Connelly. But though it sizzles, it isn’t quite top drawer.

For JERRY PFAFFL, writing about movies is an act of love and exaltation. Once a week while growing up he and his brother were taken to the neigborhood theater by thier parents to see second-run movies. He remembers sitting in the dark and being utterly mesmerized by noir thrillers, technicolor musicals, Westerns, and Biblical epics. When he was a college student he discovered the wonder of foreign movies and how more daring subject matter was possible. When he was teaching at UNLV he founded CINEMA X, a film society devoted to the showing of contemporary experimental films. When he was working at Bookmans on Ina he was in charge of the Video and DVD department and his nametag read "The Movie Guy." In sum, movies have always been his passion.