Best of all, there are top-flight performances from both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe who create interesting, rounded characters out of potential clichés.
American Gangster (2007)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for American Gangster
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
Flattened by Scott's cardboard evocation of New York in the '70s, Zaillian's shallow criticism of corrupting power, and weirdly bloodless performances
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.
If it were not for some adept performances, American Gangster could almost be a particularly brutal made for TV movie.
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.
Telling a true story doesn't excuse a filmmaker from making his movie stand out from the many others that have traversed similar ground.
It feels familiar, even Washington's performance of real-life Frank Lucas feels like something we've seen before.
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.
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.
Scott's not interested in fireworks but small implosions of the soul and ego.
Um filme envolvente que representa mais um alto na carreira repleta de baixos do instável Ridley Scott.
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.
American Gangster delivers fine drama, gripping performances and a dizzy morality tale. But it should have been oh, so much better.
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.
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
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. ![]()
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. ![]()
More...
July 07, 2008:
American Gangster Sequel Coming? ![]()
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...
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