"American Gangster" - C-

Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" has been praised, bashed and rehashed since its release. Detractors have stated that it's too sensational and absent of the truth surrounding real-life druglord, Frank Lucas. And still others have opposed the movie as a blatant glorification of the "gangster" lifestyle.

Whatever your final take, there is no ignoring the strong attempt to draw your attention back to the organized crime genre and period piece. Why else would you stack the deck with so many heavy-hitting personalities?

The rap sheet: Denzel Washington portrays 1970's bad guy Frank Lucas, a self-styled mobster with a heavy hand in the NYC drug trade. If the film is to be believed, Lucas "Wal-Marted" the crime world — contacting the manufacturers, purchasing directly from the source and selling it cheaper than the competition.

Things ramp up for Lucas as he gets more involved, and then he comes to the attention of super-good cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts had left the overly corrupt NYC police to work for the feds in shutting down the local drug industry, including Lucas.

Crime drama ensues.

Good and bad: The first half of the film strings along numerous snippets to give you insights into the motivation and background of the leads, and this is where the seams are really apparent. The whole backstory portion of this movie makes for a choppy mess that is unpleasant and almost hard to follow. It's not a complete loss, but it's in rather rough shape.

Once you escape the lead-in hype, the movie kind of settles into its own. There are a few moments where Ridley Scott was tipping the cap to Scorsese, but it's only a passing fancy. You won't for a moment forget that you're not setting before one of those other masterfully crafted crime films. But you might find yourself thinking a little about Sidney Lumet's "Serpico," which isn't all bad, I suppose.

In the end this is really the Denzel Washington show, which could have been great. And there might have been more good things to say if there was more back-and-forth between Washington and Crowe, but the story doesn't lend itself to it. Regardless, you won't be treated to the same sparking performance Washington delivered with the very fine fictional "Inside Man." Heck, he isn't even as flashy and evil as he comes off in "Training Day."

Believable story? No ... not as presented. Apparently, all the real people involved in this account have said the movie is over-the-top in make believe.

Great performances? Not really. Josh Brolin delivers as a crooked SIU cop who is bought and paid for many times over. Everybody else is kinda lackluster; there aren't many memorable moments and great scenes. Don't give up on Ridley Scott or Denzel Washington; Russell Crowe remains lifeless, so you can either take him or leave him when it's all said and done.

There are many other great crime films, many of which are based on true stories. In fact, you'd probably be better served by checking out one of those instead.

Grade: C - (of the lowest degree available)