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Movies / On DVD / American Gangster
American Gangster

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American Gangster (2007)

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Reviews Counted:202

Fresh:159

Rotten:43

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: American Gangster is a gritty and entertaining throwback to classic gangster films, with its lead performers firing on all cylinders.

Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Strong violence, Strong drug use

Runtime: 2 hrs 38 mins

Genre: Dramas

Australian Theatrical Release:
Jan 10, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $130,127,620

Synopsis: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott team to tell the true juggernaut success story of a cult figure from the streets of 1970s Harlem in American Gangster. Nobody used... Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott team to tell the true juggernaut success story of a cult figure from the streets of 1970s Harlem in American Gangster. Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (Oscar® winner Washington), the quiet driver to one of the inner city's leading black crime bosses. But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the American Dream. Through ingenuity and a strict business ethic, he comes to rule the inner-city drug trade, flooding the streets with a purer product at a better price. Lucas outplays all of the leading crime syndicates and becomes not only one of the city's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of legit civic superstars. Richie Roberts (Oscar® winner Crowe) is an outcast cop close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Roberts believes someone is climbing the rungs above the known Mafia families and starts to suspect that a black power player has come from nowhere to dominate the scene. Both Lucas and Roberts share a rigorous ethical code that sets them apart from their own colleagues, making them lone figures on opposite sides of the law. The destinies of these two men will become intertwined as they approach a confrontation where only one of them can come out on top. Washington (Training Day) and Crowe (Gladiator) lead a spectacular cast of accomplished and rising stars--Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, Armand Assante, John Ortiz, John Hawkes, RZA, Common and T.I.--in this blistering tale of a true American entrepreneur directed by Oscar® nominee Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and produced by Academy Award® winner Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind) and Scott from a screenplay by Academy Award® winner Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List). -- © Universal Pictures [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chjwetel Ejiofor

Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Carla Gugino, Ted Levine, John Hawkes, RZA, Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding, Armand Assante, John Ortiz, Common, T.I.

Director: Ridley Scott

Director: Ridley Scott
Screenwriter: Steve Zallian
Producer: Brian Grazer, Ridley Scott
Composer: Marc Streitenfeld
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for American Gangster

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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Best of all, there are top-flight performances from both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe who create interesting, rounded characters out of potential clichés.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
02/12/08
David Stratton
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Washington towers above everything in this impressive, tough and long crime drama, convincingly putting his stamp on the elegant man whose callousness alternates with chivalry

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/08/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the most intelligent gangster movies in years.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/04/08
Paul Byrnes
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Flattened by Scott's cardboard evocation of New York in the '70s, Zaillian's shallow criticism of corrupting power, and weirdly bloodless performances

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/27/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

When American Gangster was announced, with actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott, it seemed like a can't miss project. It missed.

Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly | comment 1 Comment
02/02/09
Tony Macklin
Tony Macklin
Fayetteville Free Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

If it were not for some adept performances, American Gangster could almost be a particularly brutal made for TV movie.

Full Review Source: Mansized | comment Comment
05/22/08
Chris Laverty
Chris Laverty
Mansized

Washington may have not wanted to glorify the Harlem drug dealer, but with his superb acting skills he has created one of the coolest gangsters since Tony Montana.

Full Review Source: Watertown Daily Times | comment Comment
05/20/08
Adam Tobias
Adam Tobias
Watertown Daily Times

Telling a true story doesn't excuse a filmmaker from making his movie stand out from the many others that have traversed similar ground.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
05/01/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

It feels familiar, even Washington's performance of real-life Frank Lucas feels like something we've seen before.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
03/04/08
Jeff Bayer
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

It isn't that American Gangster is an empirically bad film or is even unenjoyable. But don't be surprised if, when you walk out of the theater, you forget the film ever existed.

Full Review Source: Colorado Springs Gazette | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette

Inflated talk of American Gangster as a modern masterpiece--or even an Oscar-worthy picture--ignores the fact that there's not a single memorable setpiece in the film.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment 2 Comments
02/19/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Scott's not interested in fireworks but small implosions of the soul and ego.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
02/03/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

Um filme envolvente que representa mais um alto na carreira repleta de baixos do instável Ridley Scott.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment 1 Comment
01/25/08
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Un policial de ritmo tenso y constante, que contrasta a dos personalidades bastante similares a ambos lados de la ley, mientras se deslizan críticas hacia la corrupción política, policial y militar que permite la existencia del narcotráfico.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
01/20/08
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

American Gangster delivers fine drama, gripping performances and a dizzy morality tale. But it should have been oh, so much better.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
01/19/08
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

This initially hokey 70's-TV-style production determinedly matures into a motion picture with cinematic impact. Happily, climax/resolution detour from others in the genre.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
01/18/08
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Ridley Scott forgets that editing is an art form as well

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
01/14/08
Larry Ratliff
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

anabionei maestrika to gkangksteriko drama palaias kopis, aporriptontas tis spasmodikes eksarseis bias ki ekrikseon, alla horis na krybei ta akonismena dontia poy deihnei sto dolofoniko tis ksekinima, poy ksekatharizei akribos ti eidoys gangster einai o A

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
01/14/08
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
all

Latest News for American Gangster

August 16, 2008: ByAnyMediaNecessary.com: The equal opportunity bone crunching pits real life black druglord kingpin Lucas (a grinning, scary Denzel) and Crowe's womanizing, eager beaver Jewish NYPD crime buster in an ethnically diverse, cat and mouse go at it. Opens in new window
More...

August 16, 2008: ByAnyMediaNecessary.com: The equal opportunity bone crunching pits real life black druglord kingpin Lucas (a grinning, scary Denzel) and Crowe's womanizing, eager beaver Jewish NYPD crime buster in an ethnically diverse, cat and mouse go at it. Opens in new window
More...

July 07, 2008: American Gangster Sequel Coming? Opens in new window
Is Universal filming American Gangster 2 in Puerto Rico? More...

May 06, 2008: 2008 MTV Movie Award Nominations Announced
It's almost time to hand out some golden popcorn -- the nominations for the 2008 MTV Movie Awards have been announced! More...

See All

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