You can tell a lot by a film’s trailer. A frat-boy comedy meant for the college-freshmen sect probably is going to have a lot of ridiculous, obnoxious scenes. A romantic comedy is (hopefully) going to have some weepy emotional moment. And a movie starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe directed by Ridley Scott is a must-see, let alone a serious contender for some award recognition.

If your mindset is remotely similar, chances are you’re going to walk out of their latest collaboration “American Gangster” more than a little disappointed wondering how your nearly three-hour movie experience could be so...uneventful. Hardly the word you’d figure could describe an effort with such prestigious leads.

The film, based on real life incidents, is set in the 1970s in the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Washington plays Frank Lucas, the right hand man of a respected, but ultimately small-time crime boss in Manhattan whose death leaves a void in the underworld.

Recognizing the opportunity, Frank decides the best way to get ahead in the drug market is to go directly to the source and devises a way to smuggle heroin into the country. Frank becomes a force in the area, drawing the attention of not only the Mafia, but Det. Richie Roberts (Crowe) who lost his partner to an overdose of Frank’s heroin. Roberts methodically connects the dots to the mastermind of this vast drug empire while Frank ruthlessly establishes his control of his empire.

The title is largely misleading however, as the film isn’t really much of a gangster flick. Not in the sense of the standard bearers of the genre, “The Godfather,” “Scarface,” “Goodfellas,” etc. The Mafia might not like Frank but there’s no major shoot-outs or real political maneuvering here. There’s no real struggle for Frank. He wants it he gets it. When Frank buys a big house for his family and buys a plush condo for himself, there’s no sense of satisfaction watching him enjoy what he’s clawed and scratched his way to the top to achieve. It’s akin to watching an action film right at the point where the hero lands his knockout blow on the villain and kisses the girl. Why should you care?

It’s equally difficult to care about Richie, whose character is fleshed out a bit better but still not enough to get you really invested in what happens to him one way or another.

The fault doesn’t lie with Washington or Crowe, who try to make the most of what they have to work with but it’s not a lot.

Originally, Antoine Fuqua, the man who directed Washington to his long overdue Best Actor Oscar for “Training Day,” was tapped as the film’s director but was removed due to creative differences. It begs the question if Fuqua was behind the camera, would he have brought the focus on one of his leads for another round of Oscar nominations?

For my money, the best “collision course” film was Michael Mann’s phenomenal “Heat.” Mann skillfully weaves numerous subplots as he builds towards the inevitable confrontation between Al Pacino’s flawed, but heroic squad of police officers and Robert De Niro’s equally complex band of robbers. And not only is the buildup impeccable but the payoff is one of the great movie action scenes.

Scott’s direction lacks focus primarily in adequately bringing the two entities together as Frank and Richie’s meeting doesn’t end with a bang but a fizzle

The story and cast have promise but this is definitely a case of a film failing to reach its full potential. Oh well. At least there’s always the first Washington/Crowe collaboration “Richochet…”