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

91%

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

05/01/2008

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)

02/12/2008

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

02/03/2008

B

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

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

06/11/2023

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

11/20/2022

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

11/20/2022

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

12/08/2024

Definitely worth watching

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Kimmo K

@Kimble98 Jul 12

Amazing performances especially from Denzel and Russell.

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Brayan G

@letsbereal4once Jul 9

What a movie! This is a classic a must watch nothing like a movie based on a true story. Definitely recommended!

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Wyatt T.

@anarchy-OD Jun 26

great movie with exceptional actors and script writing. Marvelous themes combined with the acts of a true story lived by real people. Film making and cinematopgraphy are also exceptional. The shots in some scenes like when frank confronts his biggest rival outside his regular breakfast diner is amazing, the suspense of the scene is amazing too.

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B K

@maxmad Jun 20

A gritty gangster movie that harks back to 1970s flicks, when Hollywood glitz did not always invade a production. But it's more than a shoot'em'up crime flick. There is plenty of social commentary that accompanies the 'chase' and the great thing is that it is based on true events. Crowe and Washington hold center stage and do it well, ably supported by a strong cast. Casting of Idris Elba was a surprise to me, probably because I find it difficult to get the image of Luther out of my mind when I see him. But it all works and with Ridley Scott at the helm, direction is spot on.

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Oscar T

@ScarfaceRampage Jun 1

Easily the best Denzel movie

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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

American Gangster: Official Clip - Don't Lie to Your Mother

1:52

American Gangster: Official Clip - Progress

2:59

American Gangster: Official Clip - The End For Frank

1:42

American Gangster: Official Clip - Heroin House Raid

2:45

American Gangster: Official Clip - Above the Mafia

1:52

American Gangster: Official Clip - Drive-By Shooting

1:49

American Gangster: Official Clip - Diluting the Brand

2:54

American Gangster: Official Clip - Somebody Or Nobody

2:00

American Gangster: Official Clip - The Right Thing To Do

2:26

American Gangster: Official Clip - Fed Up

2:08

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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)