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Movies / On DVD / American Gangster
American Gangster

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American Gangster (2007)

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Reviews Counted:207

Fresh:164

Rotten:43

Average Rating:7/10

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

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Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality

Runtime: 2 hr. 37 min.

Genre: Drama

Theatrical Release: Nov 2, 2007 Wide

Box Office: $130.1M

Synopsis: Based on the life of drug-kingpin-turned-informant, Frank Lucas, who grew up in segregated North Carolina where he watched as his cousin was shot by... Based on the life of drug-kingpin-turned-informant, Frank Lucas, who grew up in segregated North Carolina where he watched as his cousin was shot by the Klan for looking at a white girl. He eventually made his way to Harlem where he became a heroin kingpin by traveling to Asia's Golden Triangle to make connections, shipping heroin back to the US in the coffins of soldiers killed in Vietnam. He soon made upwards of one million dollars a day in drug sales. Lucas was shadowed by lawman, Richie Roberts, who finally helped bring the kingpin to justice. The two then worked together to expose the crooked cops and foreign nationals who made importing heroin so easy. [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr.

Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, Armand Assante, Clarence Williams III, John Ortiz, John Hawkes, RZA, Lymari Nadal, Yul Vázquez, Ruby Dee, Idris Elba, Carla Gugino, Joe Morton, Common, Jon Polito, Kevin Corrigan, Roger Guenveur Smith, Malcolm Goodwin, Ric Young, Roger Bart, Tip 'T.I.' Harris, KaDee Strickland, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Norman Reedus, Albert Jones, J. Kyle Manzay, Warner Miller, Hamilton Clancy

Director: Ridley Scott

Director: Ridley Scott
Screenwriter: Steven Zallian
Producer: Nicholas Pileggi, Branko Lustig, Karen Kehela-Sherwood
Distributor: Universal Pictures

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REVIEWS FOR AMERICAN GANGSTER

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1 - 20 of 210 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Autopsy | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
Thomas Caldwell
Thomas Caldwell
Cinema Autopsy

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Full Review Source: Future Movies UK | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
Coco Forsythe
Coco Forsythe
Future Movies UK
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

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Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic IconTop Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Reverse Shot | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
Reverse Shot

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Full Review Source: Film School Rejects | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
Neil Miller
Neil Miller
Film School Rejects

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Full Review Source: Movies.com | comment Comment
Jul 7, 2010
Dave White
Dave White
Movies.com

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
Aug 27, 2009
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

File this one under "American Oscar Wanna-Be."

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
Apr 23, 2009
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
Feb 2, 2009
Tony Macklin
Tony Macklin
Fayetteville Free Weekly

Ridley Scott's gangster flick aims high and mostly measures up.

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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
May 20, 2008
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 1 Comment
May 1, 2008
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
Mar 4, 2008
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
Feb 28, 2008
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
Feb 19, 2008
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

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
Feb 12, 2008
David Stratton
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)

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

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
Feb 3, 2008
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
Jan 25, 2008
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
Jan 20, 2008
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
 
 
1 - 20 of 210 (sorted by date)
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LATEST NEWS FOR AMERICAN GANGSTER

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July 7, 2008: American Gangster Sequel Coming?
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