Daised & Reviewed

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe

Rating:

From a broad outlook, other than being a true story, this movie seems to be a lousy replica of the all times masterpiece “The God Father”. It has the same concept & frame of mind but different people and places, this time it is in Harlem and about an African American whose name is Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington). The whole plot from the beginning of the movie displays scattered images and reminders from the famous trilogy starting from the rise of Frank Lucas after the death of his mentor, father figure, and boss “Bumby”, the evolution of the empire he builds for himself, how he controlled the mafia community in his territory, the way he involved his family in his dirty business, how he dealt with Bumby’s unfinished business, the assassination attempt of his wife, and how he was betrayed by his own brother. However, towards the end of the movie it gets to wrap up in a realistic closure…. especially right before the ending credits when they mention what really happened to everyone (by then you will get a feel that this really did happen sometime before) well this is the only way its supposed to end… it’s a real story after all!

Given that the whole movie was a Deja-Vous, it became interesting to examine Denzel’s presentation of the character, and since we are quite familiar with his strong acting abilities, it was up to every Mafiosi fan’s expectation for he made you think of him nothing but a brutal and ruthless low-key criminal. However, I think Ridley Scott’s choice of Russell Crowe to play Ritchie Roberts, the detective who was working on Frank Lucas’s case was not wise enough (though Scott and Crowe are known for teaming-up perfectly especially when they worked together in the blockbuster “The Gladiator”). As I was reading about the movie, it was mentioned that originally two Actors were nominated for this role which are Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix which either, in my own opinion, would have fit the personality requirements needed for this role.

In summary, Ridley Scott’s making of this movie (Baring in mind that his consultants during filming were the real Frank Lucas and Ritchie Roberts) wasn’t an attempt to imitate an original classic, it was made just to prove a point; every single event that happened in “The God Father” did really happen somewhere in real life. So if you’re in favor of the Corleone’s effect on the world of sins… definitely watch it!

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