American Gangster Reviews

American Gangster tells of the rise of 70s Harlem drug baron Denzel Washington and the efforts of crusading detective Russell Crowe to bring him to justice. Once again Ridley Scott proves he is one of the best directors working today, brilliantly bringing the Harlem of the period to life and essentially telling two tales in tandem in an intelligent and always entertaining way. Denzel is always better in his shadier roles, and this for me has to be one of his best. It does not have the grit and intensity of Scorsese's gangster pieces and the action/violence is sparse. It's more in the vein of something like Infernal affairs or a 70s version of The Wire in its treatment of the story and Scott's pacing is spot on, as the film despite its two and three quarter hour length never drags. The climactic shoot out is brilliantly done, delivered by Scott in a way you know his brother is completely incapable of; his version probably would have been an unwatchably choppy hallucinogenic migraine. It would have been nice to see Crowe and Washington share the screen a little more, but otherwise it delivered on every level. It doesn't challenge the classics, such as The Godfather or Goodfellas, but more than holds its own against other heavyweights such as Donnie Brasco and The Departed.

Ridley Scott develops a masterpiece to be enshrined historically as a magnificent crime/drama classic. American Gangster provides what is to be expected of the obvious title: violence, drugs, and a daring story. The film is also given an extra push by its groundbreaking cast, especially Washington & Crowe. 4/5

Another great film starring Denzel. It has a good amount of violence (if that kind of thing matters to you), and a great story line. If you like movies such as Scarface and The Godfather, then this is a good movie to watch within that genre.

The great director Ridley Scott has three masterpieces behind his belt: Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator. He can now add a fourth to that list: American Gangster.
Besides another great performance by Denzel Washington, not to mention the incredible supporting actors he has to work with like Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Arman Assante, and Cuba Gooding Jr., the film is a wholly original gangster picture. Denzel's performance is not to be understated however. His fans will get everything they watch the actor for; the smooth talk, the mannerisms, the bad ass stare, the yelling, and the cool demeanour. But like his best roles, he turns Frank Lucas into a fully realized character, a flawed but wholly sympathetic one.
The story focuses on how Frank Lucas was able to make more money than the Mafia through good business decisions. This film could almost be taught in economics classes, except for the fact that Lucas' product is heroine. Image, and an honest living giving back to the community were what helped Lucas get ahead, stay ahead for as long as he did, and never get backstabbed.
The film smartly contrasts his life with Richie Roberts (Crowe), who may stand for what's right, but doesn't impact his community the way Lucas does. Lucas isn't Scarface, nor is he Michael Corleone. He went a diferent way, which makes his story just as important as the others.
Ridley's production team successfully and accurately re-creates a gritty, realistic view of Harlem in the 1970s. They also don't shy away from showing what Lucas' product is doing to addicts. There's no denying that Frank Lucas does bad things. But given the world he grew up in, he did what he could to survive, and survive he did.
Note: I prefer the theatrical version to the unrated cut. I believe that Ridley made the edits for the theatrical cut for a reason and the additions interrupt the pacing and don't add any more depth to the already perfect narrative.

A strong deliverance from Washington and the rest of the main characters, with a clever plot, and just a generally good watch that requires some listening.

American Gangster is a title that actually does not cover even a half of what is going on in this labyrinthe-like thriller that is so much more than a gangster-film. This is also, if not even more, a film about corruption inside the police-force.
Director Ridley Scott has always been a man with a talent behind a camera when it comes to visuals. He knows what he want from his images and he knows how to capture them to the film. He is one of the great painters of filmworld. Many of his images are often so breathtaking, that they would make a wonderful paintings. Films like Blade Runner, Legend and Kindom of Heaven are perfect examples of his abilities.
With American Gangster Scott has a good script by Steven Zaillian where to work from and one of his best cast to date to work with. Russell Crowe and Josh Brolin are especially on a top form here. Especially Russell Crowe whose performance as a detective Richie Roberts is one of his best and works as a heart of the film. And when you add those elements in to Scott's typically brilliant technical values, you get an entertaining two and half hours.
This film is one of rare exceptions in Scott's filmography when the story is not overrun by film's visual style. American Gangster is clearly one of his more mature and relaxed films that trust it's screenplay and is brave enough to take it's time to get in to the every dark corner of the story. This is definetly no action-film, not even close. This is more of a tense cat and mouse - game between a dedicated cop and a famous gangster who used to be one of the most ruthless and dangerous of his time. It is also a dark and intimate look into the corruption overall with stylistical hints of film-noir in it.
American Gangster does still not come without it's flaws. It certainly suffers from being a overly familiar material at times. It seems that it fall for victim of being a story that we have seen quite too many times on celluloid. Still it is a well made entertainment with good cast.

Though not on par with other gangster classics by Scorsese, Copolla or DePalma, this look at the life of a Harlem drug kingpin is a fascinating watch and a great return from Ridley Scott. Denzel Washington puts in a great performance as well.

Although it doesn't hold up to memory as well as it probably should be given its fairly familiar plot, 'Gangster' is still worth a view thanks to the presence alone of Denzel Washington as an emerging drug kingpin. The Russell Crowe character is heavily cliched and could have been better developed, but the hunting down of Washington's dangerous character is still captivating despite the movie's long running time (nearly three hours? Come on...). I loved the film when I first saw it in high school, but now I merely like it. If it was more tightly run and the Crowe character wasn't so obvious than maybe this would have been a memorable masterpiece.

American Gangster is a gernius imaging of the crime lord Frank Lucas and is one of Ridley Scotts best films. A Harlem drug kingpin (Denzel Washington) who smuggles heroin into the country by hiding it in the bodies of U.S. soldiers killed during battle in Vietnam. There was a time when no one noticed reserved driver Frank Lucas (Washington), but when the criminal kingpin he was charged with transporting through the city streets suddenly dies, Lucas seizes the opportunity to build his own criminal empire. In the following months, Lucas solidifies his status as Harlem's most innovative drug dealer by delivering a product that is purer than the competitors' and cheaper, as well. When innovative businessman Lukas attempts to go semi-legit by becoming one of the Manhattan borough's biggest civil supporters, however, street-savvy outcast cop Ritchie Roberts (Russell Crowe) begins to sense a sizable shift in the hierarchy of the drug underworld. But Roberts is one of the few honest detectives operating within a corrupt system, and as he sets out to investigate the case, crooked detective Trupo (Josh Brolin) does everything in his power to compromise the integrity of his idealistic counterpart. Upon clearing all of the usual Mafia-connected suspects, Roberts begins to believe that a previously unknown black power player has come out of the woodwork to dominate the local drug trade. While Roberts and Lucas may be operating on opposite sides of the law, the one thing that both men have in common is a strict code of ethics that separates them from their opportunistic colleagues. Now, as a confrontation between the two men becomes inevitable and the fate of each becomes inexorably tied to the other, it gradually becomes apparent that only one of them will emerge from the conflict victorious. The plot of this film is Oscar worthy, the world that we enter is amazing and twisted, Scott shows us the underbelly of drugs and the life Frank Lucas lived. The acting is incredible, Denzel is so unforgettable and Russell crowe is amazing as well and is also a great character. This movie is one of my favorite mob films, and it is truly a genius film and one of Denzels best.

This is an amazing piece of work, just below par with classic gangster films such as Goodfellas, Casino, Scarface, Carlito's Way, The Godfather Trilogy, and drug films like Blow. The acting, huge ensemble cast, and small details about the drug (heroin) industry are amazing to watch take place. The film is lengthy, but oh so worth it, This could have been a much shorter film with more violence, which would make it more accessible, but it but that might harm the thing that makes it work the most: character development. I haven't seen this much attention to details concerning characters who are very textured and complex since Heat. It's not as violent as I was anticipating, but I didn't care. Violence or not, this film is still brilliant, and bound to be a classic someday.

although this film dims slightly with time, it is still a phenomenal film and one of the better gangster films ever made. it almost went the direction of depalmas scarface, but averted such a tragedy just in time to remain an amazing film.

For much of this film, I thought it was two movies combined, one starring Washington and the other starring Crowe. And even after the film ended, I still see the stories as separate. The film attempts to convince us that Lucas and Roberts form a friendship based upon the mutual respect of adversaries, but there simply aren't enough scenes between the two characters to make this believable. I suppose I expected something on the order of the Pacino/DeNiro scene in Heat.
This is minor flaw in an otherwise strong film. I can't say that it does much, but the performances, especially by Washington, who is always good, are excellent, and Scott's direction is even and natural. The film doesn't seem to judge its characters, presenting Lucas as a cold-blooded, detached, and unrepentant criminal who loves his mother as a Southern man should and Roberts as a poor father and a cop whose honesty becomes both his badge of honor and his shield against all kinds of valid criticism. Additionally, almost all of the characters in the film use the term "dope" to refer to heroin; I suspect this term, which most often refers to pot, was deployed to detract from the incredible harm the drug causes, though balancing this is an effective montage of drug-addled customers. It is also a sprawling epic of a film, the director's cut lasting close to three hours, and it is a credit that the film held my attention for so long.
Overall, this is not Scarface or Get Shorty, glorifying its eponymous hero; rather it's along the lines of Donnie Brasco and Goodfellas presenting gangster life in all its seedy luxury.

Seems like a cross between French Connection and the Godfather. Though I don't know about you, but I basically waited 2 hours to watch Denzel and Russell interact. Overall, it wasn't bad. Not my favorite crime drama ever ever, but hey. It was significantly long. Like wow. And I think they could have extended Denzel and Russell's interaction. I guess I have a thing for watching legendary actors interact.

Grade: B+

American Gangster is the incredible true story of Frank Lucas, a notorious 1970's African American drug kingpin who amassed a fortune of 260 million dollars. The film is brilliantly directed by Ridley Scott and has a raw and gritty atmosphere throughout the film. Scott does a great job at capturing the feel of Harlem in the 1970's. I am a diehard fan of gangster films and I enjoyed every minute of this film. Ridley Scott's stunning picture gives us a close look at Franl Lucas, marvelously played by Denzel Washington. This is one of his finest roles and he dominates the screen with sheer menace.. American Gangster is different type of gangster film as the focus of the story is a black heroin kingpin. I was very surprised at the fact Ridley Scott made this film. Usually he's great to making sword and sandle films and Sci Fi films, but he manages to craft a unique film. Given time, American Gangster will definitely be seen as a classic in the mafia/gangster genre of film. This is a terrific crime film because it breaks away from traditional elements that make up a good gangster flick (Italian families, for example) This focuses on an African American in the 1970's making more money than most white gangsters of that era. American Gangster is a realistic film and it depicts Frank Lucas as an apprentice of gangster Bumpy Johnson to being the most important Heroin dealer in New York. The film also takes a look at the crooked cops involved to facilitate Lucas's Illicit Drug trade. This is a solid film from start to finish that is relentlessly brutal and at times hard to watch. If you're a fan of gangster films than pick this one up. Ridley Scott has manged to craft a terrific, bold & brutal epic. In the years to come it sure will become a classic of the genre. The cast at hand definitely do a great job and the film is a solid piece of cinema. American Gangster is a gripping film that is raw, gritty and intense, but overall unforgettable.

This movie offers a very interesting, realistic and intense look at the rise and fall of a true American Gangster and the cops hunting him. A great cast down to the smallest roles is still outshined by the great performances of Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. The movie follows their characters in parallel lines, having a close look at their private and business lives, not judging but observing, blurring the lines of black and white. Yes, it is clear who's the untouchable cop and who 's the ruthless gangster with a strong sense of family, but you can care and feel for both characters as you watch them make their decisions. The movie culminates in one of the finest scenes of the year when these two real characters finally meet each other. The ending, unlike in The Departed last year, really satisfies, too. Great stuff.

Underachieves its great ambition.

One of the best crime movies made within the last decade, and a great leap for Ridley Scott as a director and Crowe and Washington as actors.

Super great film. Great Story, based on a true story too!

In 1968, the loyal driver, bouncer and collector Frank Lucas witnesses the death of his boss and mentor Bumpy Johnson and finds that Harlem lost its leadership. Frank decides to import heroin direct from the source in Bangkok, establishing a logistic of transportation using the US military airplanes from Vietnam to USA. The quality of his product associated to the trade mark "Blue Magic" and the lower prices bring Frank Lucas to the position of number one distributor of heroin in USA. Meanwhile, in the Essex County, the incorruptible detective Richie Roberts that is studying for the Bar Examination is invited to join and head a Federal Investigation Force of Narcotics, seeking the leaders of the dealers in North America.

Some people say this film belongs to the new classic gangster movies! I strongly disagree and I believe this film is highly overrated but still good!