American Gangster Review Summary
American Gangster will "shake your core with its amazing story. " Denzel Washington is at his usual as he was in Remember the Titans. While they're both based on true stories, they are completely different characters. In American Gangster, Denzel stars as a man coming up in the world through the distribution of drugs, although no pre-knowledge of this story is necessary to enjoy what will soon be another Denzel classic. The talent doesn't stop here, as Russell Crow and Josh Broil pull in credible performances as well, as does director Ridley Scott. A few Viewpoints moviegoers found the 2-1/2 hour length of American Gangster too much, as well as the graphic violence and nudity, finding it somewhat gratuitous. Others found all this necessary for showing "the ugly reality that is the mafia."
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Most HelpfulFavorable Review
We rented American Gangster mostly because my husband wanted to see it. I was afraid it would be real bloody. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of blood and guts in this movie! There was some, but very little of it.
The plot is actually quite simple. Frank Lucas grew up learning the gangster...
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Most HelpfulCritical Review
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since November 2007
| 11 | Reviews Written | 3 | Helpful Votes |
| 4,448 | Review Reads | 0 | Discussion Posts |
American Gangster Ratings and Reviews
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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... review »
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since October 2007
| 261 | Reviews Written | 1,597 | Helpful Votes |
| 127,383 | Review Reads | 150 | Discussion Posts |
Awards
5 shown
votes
I saw the previous film which featured both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, "Virtuosity", and I really enjoyed it (apparently I was one of the few). I was very curious about a movie in which the roles were reversed, with Denzel playing the bad guy and Crowe playing the good guy.
One of the first things one notices in "American Gangster" is that, based on a true story, the lines between the good guys and the bad guys are realistically blurred.
I thought the casting of supporting roles was especially good in "American Gangster". Ruby Dee is a very complex "Mama". Armand Assante and Joe Morton...
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since November 2007
| 7 | Reviews Written | 3 | Helpful Votes |
| 1,904 | Review Reads | 0 | Discussion Posts |
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Who doesnt like Denzel? He was great in the movie -- awesome character development-- but the movie was a little long for my taste. Oh, and I love the fact that American Gangster was based on a true story....
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I am happy to say American Gangster was everything I hoped it would be, and then some. What an awesome movie. I didn't even realize to the end that it was based on a true story. That just makes it more enjoyable to me.
Denzel Washington is AMAZING as Frank Lucas, the "bad guy" in the movie. Although for being a bad guy, I really like his character a lot. Frank Lucas became the LARGEST smuggler of Heroin during the Vietnam War, using military planes to smuggle it into America. I'm telling you, I love it when an actor can pull off the bad guy role just as well as he does the good guy role. ...
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The movie was good. I enjoy movies based on true stories, even though we all know that they may write a lot more than the truth into the movie script. Denzel Washington did an excellent job in this role. As the movie progressed, you get the feeling that all this really could have happened. None of it was so far out there that it was unbelievable.
My only complaint is that the movie was so very long!!!!! We watch a DVD with dinner each afternoon, and this one lasted a full week. It was interesting, but it was way too long.
If you like gangster movies, you will enjoy it.
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This was a great movie that we are sure to buy on DVD as soon as released.
However, the ending was very disappointing as if you do your research, you know that quite a few of these people are still living especially the main character. My Date knew all about him and really wanted to see the Movie to see what became of him in the end. But that's just it, that is the end, as far as the Movie goes but we were left with the same unanswered questions as before we saw the Movie.
When something that serious occurs that is fact, far from fiction, you really feel you want to know it all and the Movie DOES...
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since November 2007
| 6 | Reviews Written | 7 | Helpful Votes |
| 827 | Review Reads | 0 | Discussion Posts |
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since November 2007
| 2 | Reviews Written | 1 | Helpful Vote |
| 39 | Review Reads | 0 | Discussion Posts |
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There are no new tricks in American Gangster. It's an old fashioned sort of cops and crime movie that tells the story of the rise of a crime boss concurrently with that of the lawman who is determined to arrest him. Hollywood has been making gangster movies with similar plots since the early 1930s. It's just a good story well told, and there's a lot to like in that.
Denzel Washington portrays real criminal Frank Lucas, former driver for Harlem crime lord Ellesworth "Bumpy" Johnson (Clarence Williams III). When his mentor dies in 1968, Lucas sees Harlem plummet into chaos, as greedy criminals fight...
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Denzel is a great actor, and as much as I hate Russel Crowe, he does a good job too.
I like how the movie has you constantly rooting for the underdog... and then for the good guys... and then back again. A great picture, based on a true story.
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since November 2007
| 57 | Reviews Written | 45 | Helpful Votes |
| 20,731 | Review Reads | 0 | Discussion Posts |
Awards
3 shown
American Gangster is such an engaging drama that I hardly noticed its 2.5
hour length. It's a good-paced and well-acted movie. It's no Oscar contender, but it
is a good film. Denzel Washington's portrayl of uber-gangster Frank Lucas was
well-played and subtly acted. In some scenes, it could have been easy for him
to go over-the-top like Al Pacino in Scarface. Russell Crowe's was great as the
scrappy New Jersey cop trying to bring down Harlem's drug kingpin. Russell's
performance was also surprisingly low-key. It also made me re-realize how sexy
Russell Crowe compared to the other pretty-boy leading men. ...
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since August 2007
| 13 | Reviews Written | 27 | Helpful Votes |
| 4,244 | Review Reads | 0 | Discussion Posts |
Reviews of American Gangster
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| Movie Title |
American Gangster |
| Format Type |
DVD |
| Film Genre |
Action & Adventure Crime Drama |
| MPAA Rating |
R |
| Tags |
Denzel Washington Hold On I'm Comin' Russell Crowe |
| Key Information |
Directors Ridley Scott Stars Denzel Washington Actors John Hawkes Genre Dramas Subgenre True Story • 1960s • Cops • 1970s • Crime • Drug Dealers MPAA Rating Unrated Available Formats DVD: 2-Disc Set UPC 025195055703 Release Date 2007 Running Time 2hr 38min |
| Languages |
Original Language English |
| DVD Editions |
DVD Editions DVD: 2-Disc SetUniversal Studios Home VideoFebruary 19, 2008Unrated025193228024 |
| Credits |
Screenwriter Steven Zallian |
| Professional Reviews |
Professional Reviews (12/01/2007, p.134, Michael Bonner): 4 stars out of 5 -- "Crowe and Washington are extremely charismatic here; particularly... |
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