User reviews

Ridley Scott's new flick American Gangster was a good one. Though Im not gonna be saying it's the best film of the year or anything like that. It was directed well, barely any dull scenes, great acting by an enormous cast and was really well-written. Unfortunately the story never seemed "new" to me. I was reminded of other drug-related/crime movies, like BLOW, CITY OF GOD, and evening TRAINING DAY....."My Man". Though it's in the leagues as being entertaining as the above mentioned movies, it really just never felt like I was watching a "new" story. But speaking of story, I never knew anything about Frank Lucas, and his story is fantastic. A black man who was more influential than his Mafian brethren? Tell me you're kidding. Nope, he was a force in Harlem back in the late 60s and early 70s and barely anyone knows about it. But for me this area of the film was the only stand out part. Sure there are other good scenes, done well, but nothing worth mentioning. Well, scratch that, naked women workin in a drug lab was an eye-opening scene.

Denzel Washington won the Oscar when he portrayed the crooked cop in Training Day who said "My Man" all the time. Well, in the American Gangster you got him saying this line again, and by God does he have it down. There are scenes when you know he's gonna say it, and he still pulls it off incredibly well. Denzel is one actor you really never have to worry about it in the acting department. You've got Russell "Mr. Oscar" Crowe playing the other lead, and like always, he always has the character down. He was great in this flick, the accent, the mannerisms, all of it. Though, his character's story was interesting in that he was in charge of the case to figure out who the big boy druglords were, his side story with his wife was for me the "dull" parts of the film. They were well-acted and all that, but mostly, it was just character development that isn't needed. Russell Crowe's good enough an actor to portray a struggling cop without a family problem. And also let me say Josh Brolin as the crooked cop was great. I didn't need a side-story of him doing tons of drugs and banging prostitutes....but ya know he was doing it.

American Gangster was a really good flick. It had amazing acting mixed with scenes that shed a new light on drug-trafficking....or should I say Old light. Though since there are so many other drug/crime cop films out there it seems a little been there done that. But don't let that sway you if you enjoy good movies and or crime films. And also, Frank Lucas is one hell of an interesting personality. My man. 8.5 outta 10

Watch American Gangster without preconceived ideas. While the film is long it never drags. You don't get the sense that you've seen this movie before. It's not Serpico. It's not The Wire. It's not The Sopranos. While much is going on, the story is easy to follow. There is action, but this isn't an "action movie".

Both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe act convincingly and give depth to their characters.

The film leaves you wanting to know more about about happened to the lead characters. You care about them that much. Now *that's* film making.

Excellent crime-drama.

The story of Frank Lucas, the man who built a massive drug empire largely from scratch, and Richie Roberts, the outcast cop who took him down. Shows Lucas' rise to power, through ingenuity, business sense and plain ruthlessness and how he managed to fly under the police's (and many other people's) radar for so long. Also shows how the cops eventually pinpointed him as the drug kingpin they were after, their investigations and how they eventually got him.

Great storytelling from director Ridley Scott. He builds the details, and shows the history of the two protagonists, in parallel for a while. Then he builds the tension as everything comes together. In the end you have a great no-pretence, gritty, almost old-fashioned film noir gangster movie.

Great work by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in the lead roles. Good supporting cast too.

On the negative side, there are a few sub-plots and scenes which seem unnecessary (eg the Cuba Gooding angle). In addition, there are some turns of events that seem implausible, especially towards the end (eg Roberts as both cop and prosecutor). This doesn't take too much away from quality of the movie though.

American Gangster seems on the surface to be what has been dubbed by some critics as "the black Scarface." As Ridley Scott's new film details, this isn't really the case aside from the point of 'rose up from nothing became something through crime', which could be said about almost every gangster film including the Godfather. Here Scott and screenwriter Steve Zaillian, without calling attention to it ala Paul Haggis, have made a film about class issues underneath the typical gangster-movie form. Even more than the Departed, one sees as the film goes on an environment of paradox: Frank Lucas was a low-life, a killer, a ruthless thug, and at the same time found time to take his mother to church every Sunday and gave out turkeys to folks in the neighborhood while providing them enough dope to die off in the process.

In fact, Scarface has got nothing on Frank Lucas when it comes to moral complexity: here's a man who did rise up out of poverty, learned the stakes of gang life as a driver for the Harlem boss for fifteen years, and then after he died cut out the middle-man as an importer of the freshest product of heroin right out of Vietnam. Then through this there's a whole other level to American Gangster; Scott and Zaillian could have made it simply a saga of betrayals and investigation via Richie Roberts. But the side that one saw in Serpico is amplified here- it becomes all the more engrossing to see how the crooked cops and "honest" gangster Lucas were linked together, which also leads to an ending that amps up the interest. Lucas didn't get out like Henry Hill, but a good man all the same? Probably not (he ended up in jail again, as the film doesn't point out).

So there's a lot of story to explore, and Scott makes it one of the most invigorating, nostalgic (ironically speaking) New York crime films in years, as far as the storytelling goes. And like Heat, Scott gets a lot of mileage from his star power. Washington goes even deeper into the role of the villain than he did in Training Day- he plays him as classic family man, cold businessman, and charming man-of-the-community. He makes it so much his role that you can't imagine anyone else going down a Harlem street shooting a guy point blank in the head. And Crowe also adds some good subtlety to the piece, a flawed man with his family and someone who tries to keep his morality straight (the million dollars given in to the station) amidst total bully-crooks like Josh Brolin's "special" detective. By the time the two stars finally sit down for one scene, it's on par with De Niro and Pacino.

Why not a 10/10 or 4 stars? It is, despite a rightfully fleshed out narrative, with some unnecessary bits (Cuba Gooding Jr, what happened there?) on a two hour and forty minute picture. But Scott does make American Gangster gain momentum as it goes along and reaches a powerhouse climax that is first intense and bloody (it IS Scott after all), followed by a striking human angle. And it holds nothing on Scarface, at the end of it all, as far as being legitimately dramatic without the ham, as the actors and director click for most part on material that just needs to be told without any pretension- and with that dose of significance of real urban crime in the 1970s in NYC.

When I first saw the film, I didn't find it all that engaging, but by the time I got around to seeing the extended cut, I warmed up to it. It's a terrific crime film that accomplishes damn near everything it set out to do, and with an amazing cast of performers along with a stellar lead performance and riveting direction from director Ridley Scott (in top form here), it's one of the essential American crime movies of the past decade, drawing influence upon genre classics - such as Superfly, Goodfellas, and Black Caeser, while effortlessly carving its own identity. If you're not big on crime films, most of your enjoyment from this will be based on how much you like the cast and how familiar you are with their work, but one can't deny how well made and polished the film is.

The story about Frank Lucas is one that proves fact is more interesting than fiction. The fact that such a character really did exist yet I do not remember it certainly intrigues me. I guess I was just too young at the time it broke. Now approaching my later forties finds me longing to research it further after seeing this movie.

I get the feeling Ridley Scott was amazed a person such as Frank Lucas was actually able to do what he did and live to tell about it. I certainly share that amazement. The care in which he tells the story serves it well. Though it's basically a gangster movie it's not particularly graphic in violence except in a few scenes. Even Denzel's and Russel's portrayals of the two central characters are not quite as dark as the usual more stereotypical gangster/cop persona...Still there is a sense of doom and danger ever present as the viewer knows neither law enforcement, government, or mafia will let this man's drug empire go on.

To sum it up I believe this is an excellent telling of a true crime story. It's intriguing, entertaining, and certainly serves as a cautionary reminder to remain vigilant in combating drugs.

A tough, exquisitely-made gangster film redolent of Martin Scorsese at his best. Ridley Scott has pulled out all the stops here, making this one of his greatest ever films; if I had to choose a top form, this film would be in the list (alongside ALIEN, BLACK HAWK DOWN and GLADIATOR). American Gangster feels like an epic, a fully rounded, completely engrossing true story of one man's rise to the top in the drug trade.

Denzel Washington has long since proved his acting chops and it's no surprise that he's on top form here as Frank Lucas, an extremely ruthless henchman who decides to go into business on his own. Despite the lengthy running time and the decades-long scope of the film's narrative, what follows is never less than fully engaging. Scott is on top form as director, this film is a beauty to watch, and the various montage scenes are particularly well handled.

Playing opposite Washington is Scott regular Russell Crowe as a scruffy but dedicated cop determined to bring down his man. Crowe goes for the subtle approach, never overshadowing Washington, and he's very effective with it. The supporting cast are excellent, particularly Josh Brolin as a corrupt cop. Despite the familiarity of its format and the inevitability of its outcome, American Gangster is a film that holds its own against the other all-time American gangster greats like GOODFELLAS and CASINO.

9.5 stars of 10. Most Film Historians consider American Gangster to be a Masterpiece. No argument here, I agree. It's a truly great piece of filmed cinema.

It stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, alongside Chiwetel Ejofor. Ejofor is such a capable Performer and he does fantastic in this role. The supporting cast also does very well in their smaller but important roles, and a strong supporting cast it is, including: Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Clarence Williams III, Ted Levine, Roger Guenveur Smith, Armand Assante, Ruby Dee, John Ortiz, Idris Elba, John Hawkes, Carla Gugino, to name some of them. Well done.

Russell Crowe is great, as he almost always is, just an absolute commanding and believable Performamce by him. He amazes me in many Films, including this Film.

I'll get to Denzel Washington later. All of these Performances are captured brilliantly by its Director, Ridley Scott. He's such an amazing and influential Director. He has had such a great career, Directing such Masterpiece Films like The Duellists (1977), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Thelma & Louise (1991), Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), The Martian (2015), The Last Duel (2021), just to name a handful. It shouldn't surprise anyone that a truly legendary and great Director like Ridley Scott would have a part in capturing these Performances & help make this Film a Masterpiece, he's absolutely fantastic, what a career!

Then of course there's Denzel Washington. Denzel brings a very dynamic and believable Performance with seemingly impossible intricacies. This role calls for Denzel to Perform at various levels of intensity & dynamics, from subdued subtleties to intricate intensities; he does them all with balance and skill, seemingly naturally and believably.

Every generation, if we're lucky, a talent like Denzel Washington comes along, an emotionally dynamic completely believable Performer.

I think Denzel is one of the 10 best Actor's in history. It's an impossible list as there are 50 I want to have in my Top 10; but I would say these are the 10 best Actors in history (listed in order from oldest to newest):

Charlie Chaplin, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Joaquin Phoenix, Leonardo DiCaprio, Philip Seymour Hoffman & Shia LaBeouf.

Most Film Historians would say that Denzel Washington has starred in 15-20 Masterpieces thus far during his career. I believe if I talked to the 100 most respected Film Historians around the World, naturally they would all have slightly different lists, but I believe if they came to a consensus, this would be Historians Top 10:

1. Glory (1989) 2. Much Ado About Nothing (1993) 3. Malcolm X (1992) 4. The Tragedy Of Macbeth (2021) 5. Inside Man (2006) 6. American Gangster (2007) 7. The Hurricane (1999) 8. Fences (2016) 9. Philadelphia (1993) 10. Crimson Tide (1995)

I would have a slightly different looking list, my list would also include this Film, but even higher up the list. My Top 10:

1. Fences (2016) 2. American Gangster (2007) 3. Inside Man (2006) 4. Glory (1989) 5. Malcolm X (1992) 6. The Hurricane (1999) 7. Philadelphia (1993) 8. Crimson Tide (1995) 9. A Soldier's Story (1984) 10. Training Day (2001)

I agree with most Film Historians, American Gangster is a Masterpiece; a truly great piece of filmed cinema.

American Gangster

Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

About halfway into "American Gangster", it becomes clear where the movie's strengths lie. The strong leading performances from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe lift the film above typical gangster fare, but are not quite enough to secure it a place among classics such as "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas." The movie tells the true story of Frank Lucas, the man who gained notoriety in the 1970s for smuggling cocaine into the U.S. during the Vietnam War. Washington effortlessly embodies Lucas's persona, making the transformation from two-bit thug to unofficial King of Harlem all the more fascinating to watch on-screen.

Director Ridley Scott knows his way around violent films, having collaborated with Crowe before in "Gladiator." However, Scott decides to ease up on the aggression this time around, allowing his more-than-capable stars to draw the audience in with their natural abilities. Of course, with a title like "American Gangster", one should not expect anything remotely kid-friendly. "Gangster" has its brutal moments, but they are not Scott's primary concern. He sets out to tell the story of Frank Lucas, and he takes an interesting approach.

"Gangster" spends the first two acts glorifying what Lucas does. It seems as though the life of this drug dealer is without significant problems. Only as the movie winds down does it begin to show the darker side of the business. This is where Scott slips up. Lucas is faced with problems at every turn, from the police to his own family, and it leaves him with feelings of mistrust and paranoia. But by praising Washington's character for two thirds of the film, it feels insincere when Scott suddenly becomes critical. This is the man the audience has been rooting for, and now he is supposed to be seen as the bad guy? The director seems unable to make up his mind, and it is illustrated in the film.

Overall, "American Gangster" is one of the most entertaining films of the year. The running time may be pushing three hours and it may send out mixed messages, but great performances and thrilling action sequences more than make up for any missteps. Even the mildest fans of the crime genre owe it to themselves to give it a try and enjoy the ride.

Final Grade: B+

One in which it isn't about the Italian or Russian mob. The gangsters here are American born and run Harlem. Headman Bumpy Johnson dies and his driver, Frank Lucas, decides its his time to take over the business. Frank's getting squeezed by local players and decides he must do something to get more of the dope market and to be the top dog. There are reports that soldiers in Vietnam are becoming addicted to heroin because of its cheap price and easy access. Frank goes over there and uses some connections and makes a deal to ship pure heroin using Army planes back to the US for distribution. Before long he has control over the dope market in New York and is top dog. He even shoots someone on the sidewalk in front of many people to prove he's not afraid and to put fear in the commoner.

Russell Crowe plays the cop whom is assigned to form a drug force to take down big players in New York. His investigation leads to once unknown Frank as being the big supplier.

So, the latter part of the film is the police investigation into Frank and how the dirty cops play into it all. The film also shows us some of Frank's personal life with his mom and wife. And it's all very entertaining. The film is long at over 2 and a half hours, but it seemed to fly by. That's the mark of a good film.

FINAL VERDICT: I'm a big fan of Russell Crowe and he doesn't disappoint here. He's good in this as well as Denzel. The film is one of the best of the year.

I've now seen both long and short versions. Yes the extended version adds filler, but with these story driven films, time and structure is critical. I believe the extended version is more epic and offers more to the audience. This is a film in the style of The Godfather and a longer running time for the characters was worthwhile. I've increased from 7 to 9 as it's still not a grand storytelling. This is still a great film, and if you haven't seen it or have only seen the cinema cut, the extended is my recommendation. Ridley Scott tends to be a filmmaker that has embraced the home market for extended or director's cut versions.

Now this is a gangster movie.

Denzel at his best.

Crowe is also great.

Matter of fact, the casting is perfect across the board - and everyone is great in their roles.

If you like gangster movies - this is an easy 9.

Matter of fact, it's so solid, it verges on 'a great movie, period'.

If Ridley Scott hadn't made Gladiator, this would have been his best.

I wish the public would have received it better, because I would have loved him taking on more of these types of scripts.

The only reason I'm not giving it a 10, because I can see it being too slow for some.

Extra tip-of-the-hat to Brolin's corrupt cop. He nails it. Truly a great actor.

How was this not nominated for Best Picture? Or cinematography? Or Denzel for Best Actor? Or Russell Crowe for Supporting? It's amazing how the Academy snubs crime movies unless they're directed by Scorsese. Anyway, it's a great film and one of the very best of the genre.

This film is based on the real life of the mobster Frank Lucas, who imposed himself on the drug trade in New York during the 1960s and 1970s before he was caught by the authorities and forced to collaborate with them in exchange for a considerable reduction in his sentence. The script shows how Lucas, initially a hand-man of the mobster Bumpy Johnson, manages to take advantage of his relations in the Far East and the Vietnam War to import, directly and without any intermediary, pure heroin into the United States, which goes on selling at a lower price than the competitors. The film also shows the efforts of an honest policeman, Richie Roberts, to fight organized crime and, at the same time, stay away from the corruption schemes in which almost all New York Police were involved then.

The film is excellent for those who, like me, like films involving mobsters and the like. It's not a classic, but it works wonderfully. It begins slowly, with the death of Bumpy and the hypocrisy of society, which is massively rushing to the funeral despite being a criminal and a murderer. The pace is a little slow and its long length (almost three hours, in the extended version, which I saw) can intimidate some viewers, but the story develops well, gradually involving the audience. It is well worth spending some extra time on this film and seeing it as it deserves to be seen.

Ridley Scott is a director who needs no introduction and who has previously shown us that he is a man of talent and that he knows how to get the best out of what he is given to work. Therefore, I am not surprised that the director here shows how to deal with the actors. The cast is full of noble names in the industry, starting with Denzel Washington, who offers us a great and committed work. I am not able to say that it is the best of this actor, because he is very regular in his work and offers us, almost always, good works, but it is really good to see him here in another great role. Russell Crowe also shines in this film, giving his character an air of rebelliousness, unblemished and irreducible. The list of notable names in the supporting roles is extensive, but I can say that I enjoyed Josh Brolin's work as one of the corrupt cops, Chiwetel Ejiofor and T. I. as mobsters. And although the film is very masculine, both in the theme and the cast, I would like to highlight the good performances of Ruby Dee and Lymari Nadal, in very interesting female characters.

Technically, it is a contained film, which favors realism over the spectacle. There is not much action and the one that exists was very well done, without spectacularity or excessive noise. Cinematography is very pleasant, with good contrast and excellent use of light. Visually, it somewhat resembles the great gangster epics, and I have no doubt that Scott was influenced by Scorsese's style. The sets and costumes are excellent, with very interesting notes that take us back to the period when everything is happening (for example, TV news and some cars). I especially liked the elegant costumes reserved for Washington. The soundtrack, discreetly, contributes a lot to the environment.

Ok so for anyone who has seen both versions of this movie:theatrical and extended, I think it's fair to say the movie jumped leaps and bounds when going from theatrical to extended. The ending on the Thea version is down, depressing and kinda like "so what?" Then u watch Ex edition and the ending makes the whole odyssey worth watching. In fact I can't b sure what the powers that be were thinking releasing it in theatres the way they did. Ur just like, what a waste. I would give thea version 4 stars of 10. But ex edition 9/10. So in short, watch both versions of u can, but if u can only choose one, extended all day.

After watching this film I felt utterly amazed. Indeed its quite a wonderful film with a beautiful cast, truthfully portraying their characters, and a simple narration, a smooth transition of the plot. There wasn't anything special about the directing style but it still made the film very understandable.

In this three hour movie Denzel Washington portrays an American drug dealer who rises into prominence during the late sixties and early seventies, what's unique about this character is the fact that he was a gangster of African American descent, something that was extremely rare back in those days, or was it? Based on a true story this film manages to impress viewers with good dialog and good acting especially from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

The movie delivers a clear message, no matter how bad-ass you are and no matter how careful you are, getting into the drug business is a bad idea, especially when underpaid honest cops are around. All Jokes aside, this movie is really good and its message can be interpreted in many ways, from a socio-political perspective or an anti-crime one to perhaps even a business ethics perspective, its up to you.

Artistically this movie is great like I've stated before and I believe it deserves a 9\10

I just saw this movie and was simply glued to it. Never once, did I feel like leaving the hall. Director Ridley Scott does a very good job in telling an engrossing tale and keeps you glued for 2.5 hours which is a very very tough job. Now, the movie title might suggest that there is lot of killing and gun firing, but mind you it is not.If you are looking for a heavy action movie, don't waste your money and go see something else. Because, this movie is for people who enjoy true biopics. Someone who will enjoy a good story telling. I also read Mark Jacobson's article " Retun of superfly" on which this movie is based. I gathered a rather satanic picture of Frank Lucas from the article but surprisingly enough, Denzel Washington who has given us some stellar performances, does not depict Lucas very well. He plays "himself" extremely well. So does Crowe. But his character did not need him to go to the depths of John Nash or James Braddock. So was a little disappointed with Denzel Washington's performance. This movie is not in the leagues of godfather or scarface, does not make any exaggerated statement, what it does is beautifully tell the tale of a man who rose from the poor to become one of the biggest heroin dealers in USA. If you like such tales and also want a take home message, then you would love this movie. 9/10 !

A rainy day, late night kind of film. The quality of acting, directing and overall storyline will cement a place in the memory long after watching. Has a realism and unpredictability to it that is rarely achieved in other gangster style drug related films. One of the best! And one of my go too's! Tremendous performances from both Washington and Crowe. Can't recommend highly enough.

American Gangster 9 of 10 --Writing 4.5 of 5 -Superb Plot -Superb Characters -Great Dialogue -Great Pace/Edit

--Production 4.5 of 5 -Superb Acting -Superb Art Location -Great Cinematography -Great Sound

It captures the 70s era perfectly. With great acting, screenplay, and direction it turns out to be one of Scott's better movies

American Gangster works on numerous levels. It's in part a portrait of late 60s-early 70s Harlem and America, full of drugs and desperation and weakness, where the strong rise above the rest and the cops are dirtier than the rats. As a crime thriller it's entertaining and at 2 hours 37 minutes, never loses interest. But, maybe most surprisingly, it's also a superb character drama and study. Literally every character who steps on screen is compelling, has depth to them, has their motivations, and is tossed into conflict. For example there's a scene early on where Crow's character Richie and his partner are searching a parked car and find a very large amount of unmarked money in the trunk. Without giving away more, it and the following scenes lead to some surprising moral and character statements by Scott. Richie's morals vs everyone else the temptation of the streets is commonly laid on him throughout the film, and thanks to Crow's great great performance, it adds a lot to the movie.

Ridley Scott does gives his best shot in converting an ordinary mafia story in to a great movie with an excellent plot...theirs no drag nor any BS...this movie is an example of how real life stories should be presented without any unnecessary over stylish scenarios...

ridley Scott delivers the story of mafia king frank Lucas both his rise and fall in a convincing yet moving manner...this ones a different one from other gangster movies and the way its presented is truly entertaining.

even though the climax is a bit predictable Ridley keeps bit suspense around the corners and and keeeps it interesting enough..

the performances by the cast Denzel,Crowe,Brolin are class..especially by Denzel who gives a commanding performance as frank Lucas who is bit soft hearted yet cold blooded crooked gangster who will charge forward without hesitation..

My verdict is that this movie is an entertaining crime thriller with great performances by its leads,just don't get your hopes too high or you will be disappointed...