American Gangster is based on the true story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), an African American drug kingpin in 1970s Harlem who smuggles heroin in the caskets of dead soldiers returning from Vietnam. Lucas buys the drug wholesale from the source and sells a more purer form at half the price, effectively putting his competition out of business and making him one of the most powerful men in New York. Russell Crowe plays Detective Richie Roberts, a straight-laced cop who is assigned to solve the city's drug problem.

Bottom line: Ridley Scott turns a spellbinding American story into a riveting three hours of cinema. I foresee Oscar nominations abound for this flick.

Check out my detailed review after the jump and find out which Goonie put out one hell of a performance.

Warning: this review contains some plot details.

I had heard some mixed reviews going into this film, and worried about what I'd be in for. I try to steer clear of reviews as much as I possibly can - which, I suppose, makes this review fairly ironic. I think people, myself included, let 'professional reviews' sway our movie choices way too often. I'm just a guy who likes movies. I'm not a critic, and I'm not a movie snob - but I know what I like, and I know what I don't.

And I love Denzel Washington. Besides his excruciatingly awful film Deja Vu, the last half dozen of Denzel'ss films have proved that he is one of the greatest thriller/drama/suspense actors of all time. In these types of films, nobody does it better than Denzel. This movie was no different. He absolutely shines as Frank Lucas. But what Denzel brings to the table is the ability to play, what amounts to, a stone cold killer, a drug dealer and a ruthless mafia kingpin - but make you like him as well. Lucas is a family man - he loves his wife, loves his brothers, and loves his mama (powerfully played by Ruby Dee) - but he will also kill you if you get in his way.

A pivotal point in the Lucas character's growth in this movie comes when he discovers that his nephew (played by rapper T.I.) ditched his meeting with the New York Yankees, which Frank personally set up, because he would rather follow in his uncle's footsteps. We see that, perhaps, Lucas doesn't want the life of crime he lives for every member of his family. We don't hear him say it, but Denzel masterfully displays the disappointment in his eyes. Credit director Ridley Scott for including this scene.

I was surprised to see that Denzel and Crowe spent such little time on screen together. All but the last half hour of the movie focused on two separate, yet intertwined, stories - that of Frank Lucas, and that of the detective trying to bring him to justice.

Crowe's performance was also a thing of genius. I don't really like Russell Crowe.  He's a great actor, don't get me wrong, but there's nothing about him that really screams to me - I don't NEED to see his films. He was, however, perfectly cast in this role. Crowe's portrayal of Roberts, a detective tempted on a daily basis to break the rules and become a "dirty cop," carried his half of the film. For once, I couldn

t take my eyes off the screen when Crowe was up there - and he had an excellent cast of misfit cops and villains to play off of as well.

The greatest scene of the movie? Just wait until Crowe and Denzel cross paths. For a display of truly fantastic acting, acting at its very best, just wait for Detective Roberts' interrogation of Frank Lucas in the closing portions of the film. "Electric" is the only word to describe the face-off between two characters who are so freaking cool - both calm and collected - yet only one of them has a reason to be. One character knows he's got the other right where he wants him. I'll let you find out which one for yourself.

It would be blasphemy to give anyone other than Washington or Crowe the nod for best performance in this movie. But Josh Brolin is emerging as one of the best bad asses in Hollywood - Grindhouse, In the Valley of Elah and No Country for Old Men - Josh Brolin is a freakin'awesome villain actor. In case you haven't yet been enlightened to the greatness of Mr. Brolin, I will gladly direct you to his feature film debut as Sean Astin's big brother in The Goonies. That's right, Josh Brolin was Brand Walsh. I know some of you know this, but those of you who haven't realized that the porn-stached actor was the sweatpants wearing, little-girl-bike riding, lady loving Goonie, just had their minds blown. You're welcome.

I don't really do stars, or buckets of popcorn or letter grades when reviewing a movie. The best thing I can say to you is, "go see this movie." There are some critics who have argued that this film is a little too long. Those are the kind of people who don't really appreciate good story-telling. Ridley Scott tells a great story, and that's what this movie is. It's pretty cliche, but the action really does keep you on the edge of the seat. But when the movie slows down, that's when the story - the acting, and the real meat of this movie - really shines. It's those moments that separate the real movie lovers from the people who just want a shoot ‘em up.

If you want that, go see Shoot ‘Em Up.