About half-way through American Gangster, I practically expected director Ridley Scott to walk on-screen, stare out at the audience, and shout, the camera close up on his face, “I know, I know, I’m fuckin badass. Enjoy the rest of the show.” When Ridley Scott is good, he is good, and here he delivers one of the most exciting, exhausting, enthralling movies of the year. It would be obvious to say that watching Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in equally intense stories is going to be a lot of fun to watch even with a mediocre script and in the hands of a lesser director. Thankfully, the film has a rich and complex script by the talented Steven Zaillain, and Scott is in top form. Just like The Departed did for Martin Scorsese last year, finally, after decades of superb work, winning him the Best Director Oscar, American Gangster might pull the same trick for the overdue Scott.

The movie opens with a brief, jaw-dropping scene where Frank Lucas (Washington), a member of a group of black crime bosses, lights a man who wronged him on fire, lets him scream for a few moments, then shoots him dead. The movie quickly cuts to the title, and the tone is immediate set in. What follows are two parallel stories, one following Frank’s rising in power in the drug trade business, and one following cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), who begins to take notice of the shift in control of the drug undeworld. They both have their problems, but they also have their jobs to do, and their paths intertwine in the most unexpected and anticipated of ways.

American Gangster is two hours and forty minutes long and it flies by faster than any of the big-budget, bloated summer blockbusters. When it ended, I was surprised that it was over already. It could’ve gone on for another hour and I wouldn’t have had any complaints. Like the really long Zodiac which came out earlier this year in March, American Gangster doesn’t feel long because it’s so good on every level. The performances, the direction, the cinematography, the story, the action, the drama, the corruption, the greed, the malice, ahhh, I could go on. It’s all really strong. Nothing fails here, except for the fact that it moves so fast that at times I got a little confused about story points, but that’s just something more viewings of the movie could help with.

While the narrative is thrilling and works well, it’s the performances Scott gets out of his actors that make this movie a thrill to watch. It’s not just the brilliant, Oscar-worthy performances from both Washington and Crowe, but also at least half a dozen superb supporting performances from people like Josh Brolin, slimy and fantastic as a sleazeball detective; Children of Men’s Chiwetel Ejifor, as Frank’s brother; and Carla Gugino, as Richie’s ex-wife. Everybody is great here.

Washington is on the level of his award-winning turn in Training Day, playing a similarly nasty bad guy who is truly scary and one man not to be messed with. A memorable scene involves Frank sitting down for lunch to talk business, when he recognizes someone across the street who owes him money. He asks to be excused for a moment, walks across the street, tries to talk nice to the guy, but he just blows him off. Frank puts a gun to his head, and he and his girlfriend both laugh. He says something like, “Oh come on, Frank. What? What, are you just going to shoot me in the middle of the sidewalk? In front of all these people?” And boom, Frank blows his brains out. As people are screaming left and right, Frank leans down and takes the money he deserves (and leaves the leftovers), goes back to the restaurant, sits down with his group, and resumes the conversation. “What was I saying?” Frank asks. It’s scenes like this that make these no-holds-barred gangster movies so much fun to watch. Washington is completely convincing at every turn, slowly unraveling a man who has his morals and motivations but who never lets others get in the way of what he wants to accomplish.

Crowe is also fantastic as Richie, in a storyline that is at times even more entertaining (and probably more accessible) than the Frank Lucas storyline. Richie has problems with his ex-wife, is obsessed with his work, and remains close on the tail of Frank throughout the entire running time. Crowe is nothing short of absorbing in this film, and he proves with this and the even better 3:10 to Yuma, which opened in September, he is one of our great actors. Ever since his breakthrough role in LA Confidential, he has shown time and time again he is sensational with the right material. Whether it be his impressive turn in The Insider, his Oscar-winning performance in the overrated Gladiator, or the brilliant, nuanced job he does in A Beautiful Mind, he can be intimidating and terrifying, or quiet and brooding. Nonetheless, he is always interesting. In 3:10 to Yuma, he plays the complex villain. In American Gangster, he’s the good-natured cop. He is one of the few actors who can pull off both these roles with great ease, without calling attention to any other movie he’s been in. Unlike Washington, who even in these still feels a little bit like Denzel Washington, Crowe always immerses himself into each and every role, always providing a fresh take on his character.

American Gangster is a solid film and a complete joy to watch. It isn’t in the same league as classics like The Godfather and Goodfellas, films that other critics have drawed comparisons from. Instead, it reminded me more so of last year’s The Departed, an equally complex and fascinating look at two different sides of the law and all the murder and corruption it buys. When so many of this fall’s “important” movies, like In the Valley of Elah, Michael Clayton, and Rendition, are mediocre disappointments, it’s refreshing to finally get one that works. It’s especially exciting to see Ridley Scott do such a remarkable job as director. The man behind such classics as Thelma and Louise and Alien is still a master, and he proves here that with a great script and a pair of remarkable actors, he can do no wrong.

3 1/2 stars (out of 4)