RECOMMENDED Early word suggests that Ridley Scott’s epic “American Gangster,” a portrait of pitiless 1970s New York drug dealing, with a side role devoted to drug kingpin Nicky Barnes, with Cuba Gooding Jr. in the role, is uncommonly pared down for the usually visually amped director. Put that up against Marc Levin’s pirouetting, pinwheeling, eye-popping documentary of the same era, “Mr. Untouchable,” and you’ve got that rare, weird occurrence of parallel projects that capture the juice of a subject in wildly different ways. As an avatar of the self-made man, Barnes, who has been in witness protection since 1998 after ratting out his cohorts, remains an imposing character and all of the period footage, interviews and goofy material Levin churns in give a sense of the fearsomeness of this accomplished criminal. 92m. (Ray Pride) PIPERS
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