From Rose: French Studio magazine, November 2007 issue:

This thriller is all the more captivating because Franck Lucas is played by a stunning Denzel Washington […] and the cop Richie Roberts is played with restrained and fierce determination by a brilliant Russell Crowe. Both a thrilling investigation and a great duel, American Gangster becomes the equal of The Goodfellas.

Totally unlike his fellow colleagues, Richie Roberts is a cop who refuses to be corrupted by drug traffickers. Uncompromising, fighting alone against all, that kind of uncomfortable position Russell Crowe is fond of, regarding some of his previous roles: Jeffrey Wigand, John Nash and the emblematic general Maximus in Gladiator. Crowe told us when we met him then: ”A good soldier is a man who can control his fear a bit longer than other men.” Great definition of a hero: more an anti-hero than a super-hero. Wounded and distinguished men who are “dying inwardly” as Ron Howard put it about Jim Braddock, the boxer, when A Beautiful Mind was released.

The Australian’s star subtile acting comes from this duality: introverted but with fighting spirit, clumsy and elegant, fiery and gentle at the same time. Roberts is of the same kind: this tough guy is a womanizer who tries to save his drifting marriage; he’s upright but doesn’t mind the use of violence to reach his aims. “I like to play these morally disturbing and ambiguous characters” the actor says. But Russell Crowe is also a stand-out physical appearance on screen.. A body his characters often try to get rid of: for instance, Dr.Wigand hid in a comforting shadow which in fact, makes him more present. In American Gangster, Richie Roberts quickly understands that, in order to counter the smart and wily Franck Lucas, he has to play his game. On screen, Russell Crowe is like a crumbling granite block, while slowly beginning to rebuild his life.