American Gangster

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American Gangster

R

2007

2h 37m

Crime

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

213 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Frank Lucas earns his living as a chauffeur to one of Harlem's leading mobsters. After his boss dies, Frank uses his own ingenuity and strict business code to become one of the inner city's most powerful crime bosses. Veteran cop Richie Roberts senses a change in the mob's power structure and looks for ways to bring his opponent to justice.

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Critics 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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Alonso Duralde

MSNBC

May 1, 2008

2/5

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

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David Stratton

At the Movies (Australia)

Feb 12, 2008

4/5

Best of all, there are top-flight performances from both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe who create interesting, rounded characters out of potential clichés.

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Amy Nicholson

I.E. Weekly

Feb 3, 2008

B

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

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jun 11, 2023

Scott evokes the crime cinema of the seventies with his mix of gritty police thriller and sprawling crime epic (with a sprinkling of blaxploitation excess).... But its roots are equally in the rise-and-fall gangster thrillers of the eighties and nineties.

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Nov 20, 2022

5/5

Despite having a personal connection to the story in this film, I also love this movie for the dialogue, performances (particularly Denzel's) and the music.

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

Nov 20, 2022

4/5

Very solid performances anchored by Denzel. I think they could have trimmed 15-20 minutes of the Russell Crowe storyline and it would have been a near perfect film.

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Wayne

Dec 8, 2024

Definitely worth watching

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Saul B

@S.A.U.L. 6 hrs ago

Deze stevige actie-icoon laat je zien dat goed en slecht niet uit elkaar te houden zijn, elkaar voortdurend helpen, nadoen, verdoezelen en uitlokken. Heerlijk om twee en een half uur terug te zijn in het vreselijke, maar oh zo fascinerende New York van de jaren 80. Crack, heroïne, corruptie, struggle en everyday life. Ieders integriteit wordt op de proef gesteld wanneer iedereen diens eigen waarheid volgt. Dankjewel voor dit cinematische storyelling masterpiece.

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Fro T

@frothizzlereviews Sep 18, 2026

Washington has ice in his veins portraying the real-life crime figure, Frank Lucas. A masterclass performance surrounded by an incredible supporting cast, (Russell Crowe, Armand Assante, Josh Brolin, Cuba Gooding Jr. in an underrated turn as Nicky Barnes, and even Clarence Williams III popping up as Bumpy Johnson). The scene where Denzel shoots Idris Elba dead in broad daylight still makes my skin crawl. “Here ya go. 20 percent.” Common and RZA are decent here, but T.I. sticks out like a sore thumb. Never thought he was a good actor. “Family. Never forget where you came from.” 10/10

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Alejandro R

@AleAliAlea Sep 10, 2026

Confused movie saved by remarkable performances. Frank Lucas and Det Roberts are not the foils the movie wants them to be. With that said, don’t understand what the direction this film took. Perhaps honest portrayals since neither character is hero, villain or antihero. Other than cop and criminal there is nothing that connects the two or at least the film fails to show it. Washington and Crowe are superb!

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Steve H

@RT38694750 Aug 26, 2026

True story. Good acting. Entertaining.

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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Aug 11, 2026

9/10 Watched in HS history class Story of Frank Lucas and his domination on NY and NJ crack cocaine against the mob

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Ridley Scott

Director

Denzel Washington

Frank Lucas

Russell Crowe

Richie Roberts

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Huey Lucas

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Nicky Barnes

Josh Brolin

Detective Trupo

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Synopsis

Frank Lucas earns his living as a chauffeur to one of Harlem's leading mobsters. After his boss dies, Frank uses his own ingenuity and strict business code to become one of the inner city's most powerful crime bosses. Veteran cop Richie Roberts senses a change in the mob's power structure and looks for ways to bring his opponent to justice.

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Brian Grazer, Dan Griffin
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Scott Free Productions
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Pervasive Drug Content|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 13, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $130.1M
Runtime: 2h 37m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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