Robin Hood

Ridley Scott has done it again. The man knows how to make big movies, and he’s scored with “Robin Hood,” starring the ever-powerful Russell Crowe as Robin Hood, or more accurately Robin Longstride, because this is a prequel to the familiar story, and I liked it.

And with Cate Blanchette as Marion Loxley, we have another marvelous actor.

Both Crow and Blanchette have 12th century faces – hard and good, intense and strong, kindly, with steel!

It’s gritty and it’s 12th Century – life is dark, damp and short.

Be sure to stay for the credits – it’s a million-dollar sequence – the most exciting credits I’ve ever seen.

Acting is superb … great cast ... the cinematography captures the 12th Century – the mud and the warfare. Like was hard, indeed. Music is typical for a movie of this caliber – powerful stuff for a powerful story.

The story is massive, and there are some editing jumps, but the audience can follow along ... and did the French have landing craft?

The relationship between Robin and Marion could have been done a bit more effectively, but it works.

Don’t wait for Netflix – see it now.

American Gangster

Awesome!

Two actors (Denzel Washington & Russell Crowe) at the top of their game ... a director (Ridley Scott) who does peerless work ... great filming, music, script, amazing little touches - toward the end, watch for the paper coffee cup being passed back and forth.

A parable of integrity and honesty, their power and their limits.

A great sadness pervades my spirit right now ... Frank Lucas ... African American ... clever, adroit, faithful and honest within the boundaries of his family, yet fated to meet the inevitable end.

How can the African American make it in a system weighted against success?

I know that things have changed since the Vietnam era during which the film occurs, but having lived 16 years in Detroit, I know how sad it is for millions of African Americans doomed to live on the margins, struggling to make it, and often falling into despair and crime. Living now in LA, I sense that opportunities are richer here than Detroit ... but racism still pervades the American consciousness, and may God help us rid our spirit of its many evils.

Frank Lucas goes to jail ... loses everything ... released in 1991 - to what?

The cop ... Richie Roberts ... a resolutely honest cop who earns the mistrust and disdain of his fellow officers because of it ... finally assigned to a special unit investigating drugs.

Two men, fated to meet ... both honest in their own way, ending, in the commentary afterward, as friends. In the end, Richie passes the bar and becomes an attorney. His first client? Frank Lucas.

The film dragged a bit, but time was needed to develop the two characters and the worlds in which they lived and the families and people around them.

A film worth seeing ... and no doubt, Denzel Washington is a towering film presence.

Denzel Washington's chilling portrayal of a man utterly ruthless in achieving his goal and utterly loyal to his family is amazing. His face, without expression, blank and cold, is one of the most incredible moments of acting I've ever seen. An Oscar nomination should surely come his way.

Russell Crowe captured the harried, honest and frumpy cup ... studying on the side to become an attorney, scared to death of public speaking.

All other roles - clean and appropriate. Real estate folks - pay attention to the moment when Frank Lucas buys a Manhattan apartment and offers cash - the expression, the voice, of the agent say it all. A little moment, among many, in this fine film - like discovering a jelly bean in your lunch box!

Worth seeing ... that's for sure ... R rated, for sure!