American Gangster

American Gangster is Ridley Scott's latest film, and I saw it the other day, very soon after it had been released. I wanted to see it on a big screen, as I knew that a Ridley Scott film would be visually exciting, and this was no exception.
It recreated the grungy 1970s setting of The French Connection, which had clearly inspired Scott, visually and thematically, and every frame was a treat. Scott has a bit of a bashing after his recent films: Kingdom of Heaven, which I saw, would have been far better without the execrable Orlando Bloom in the lead, a role for which he is clearly unfitted. It lumbered a bit, and wasn't Scott's finest hour. Then came A Year in Provence, which was apparently embarrassing - not that anyone went to see it. Scott really can't do, and musn't try to do anything approaching comedy.
Anyway, he's back on form with this, and, although it was nearly 3 hours long, I didn't lose concentration for a moment. Ifound it enthralling and engrossing, and both leads, Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, were tremendous. I'd been a bit worried about Washington as I've found him unconvincing in several films, but he came up trumps in this, and was utterly convincing. Crowe produced an unselfish performance - another one which involved some weight gain and a bad haircut. He needed to redeem himself after some pretty naff films recently, and he did well.
So, a good, meaty, satisfying evening out. Sometimes you don't want fireworks, or brilliance, but a solid, well-made film, and this ticked all the boxes.