American Gangster Review

Overall 4.35 of 5 view all 66 reviews

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Writer

GeorgeChabot
Conyers, GA

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War against one of the big drug kingpins of the 60s

DVD collector, Movie guru, Fan of Superb Productions, admirer of great storytelling, Film noir guru, cult film connoisseur

Pros

Story, Direction, Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe

Cons

A bit overlong

JUN

2008

American Gangster (2007)

This is another great film by Ridley Scott who continues to prove (to me, at least) he is the greatest working director and the only one who will be remembered fifty years from now when the short list of great directors like Ford, Huston, Welles, and Hitchcock are discussed.

American Gangster tells the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) who begins as a driver for Harlem kingpin Bumpy Jenkins (Clarence Williams, III) and replaces him when Bumpy dies suddenly. Rather than continuing with the numbers game as Bumpy had, Lucas decides to call in a favor from a buddy off in Vietnam. Almost 100% pure heroin is shipped by air freight to NY, courtesy of the US Army... Soon Lucas is the king of NY with the old time mobsters that wouldn't even talk to him before eating out of his hand. He has family members working for him, and that contributes to some of his problems, as you shall see if you see this.

At the same time, a parallel thread is being exposed with NYC detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) who gets a prime gig with the county DA because he is one of the few cops that is not on the gangsters' payroll. Crowe attends night school and earns himself a law degree as he works to find out who is pushing the ultra clean heroin that is flooding the streets.

Denzel takes the role and makes it his own, while Crowe does the same with his. A stellar supporting cast including Josh Brolin and Ruby Dee and other familiar faces make American Gangster a treat to watch, despite its 157 minute length.

Available on Universal DVD, in color, in 1.85:1 theatrical format. Very highly recommended!

Last edited on Jun 15, 2008

American Gangster is recommended by GeorgeChabot

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Comments about GeorgeChabot’s Review

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 11:57AM

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In response to Fardreamer's comment from Jun 16, 2008 at 11:04AM:

Scorsese is far too pedantic (for me) and doesn't know how to economically tell a story. He keeps about 30 minutes of garbage in each film where the old hands would have the same content in much more polished productions. I agree with you Coppola petered out after Godfather, but what a series while it lasted! Thanks, bud!

Fardreamer wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 11:04AM

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In response to GeorgeChabot's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 4:01PM:

Okay...well, I'll mention Martin Scorsese and...hmmm...Coppola, then. The latter isn't my favorite filmmaker and I think his post-"Godfather" career pretty much petered out after "Apocalypse Now," in my opinion. In any case, I do think Ridley Scott will be one of the Big Legends when people look back on our era and discuss films of the late 20th and early 21st Century....provided we don't nuke ourselves into oblivion before the 22nd Century.

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 3:43AM

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In response to kid-kansas's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 11:24PM:

Thanks, Ron! :>

kid-kansas wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 11:24PM

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Loved it, Great call George! ;)

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 8:35PM

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In response to gitbean's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 8:09PM:

This is a good one, bud. ;>

gitbean wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 8:09PM

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Still have not seen this yet....I see I have to set a date to watch soon!

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 4:01PM

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In response to Fardreamer's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 3:28PM:

Well I didn't mean the list to be exhaustive but comparative by saying "like," but Frankenheimer has been dead since 2002 and the others much earlier. None of the ones you named are of Spielberg or anybody working today's generation.

Fardreamer wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 3:28PM

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Well, Spielberg does come to mind. I doubt "Schindler's List" can be considered to be, well, cartoonish like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is. I was thinking of directors such as John Frankenheimer, Raoul Walsh, and Alfred Hitchcock as well.

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 1:31PM

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If you're thinking Spielberg or Lucas, they may be known for "cartoons" like Chuck Jones is, but not for real movies. ;> Thanks for stopping by! :>

Fardreamer wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 1:26PM

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I'm a fan of Ridley Scott's movies - I have two of his films in my collection. Not sure, though, if he'll be the only one of today's directors who will have a legendary reputation to match Ford, Huston, or Frank Capra, but yeah, he's good.

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Key Information	Directors Ridley Scott Stars Denzel Washington Actors The RZA Genre Dramas Subgenre 1960s • Cops • Based On A True Story • 1970s • Crime • Drug Dealers MPAA Rating R (MPAA) Available Formats DVD: 2-Disc Set UPC 025193228024 Release Date 2007 Running Time 2hr 37min
Languages	Original Language English
DVD Editions	DVD Editions DVD: 3-Disc Set Collector's EditionUniversal Studios Home VideoFebruary 19, 2008R (MPAA)025195029537
Credits	Screenwriter Steven Zallian
Professional Reviews	Professional Reviews (11/09/2007, p.76-77, Owen Gleiberman): "AMERICAN GANGSTER is meticulous and detailed, a drug-world epic that holds you from...

American Gangster Review

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