Product Description

Academy Award® winners* Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe team with director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) for an epic story as powerful as it is true. Armed with ruthless street-wise tactics and a strict sense of honor crime boss Frank Lucas (Washington) rules Harlem's chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts (Crowe) sets out to bring down Lucas's multi-million dollar empire it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation. American Gangster is "a brutal and brilliant film" (Pete Hammond Maxim).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CRIME & CRIMINALS UPC: 025195029537 Manufacturer No: 61103766

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21366 in DVD
• Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
• Released on: 2008-02-19
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Limited Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 158 minutes

Amazon.com
Ridley Scott puts on his "sweeping saga" gameface again, this time not for the sci-fi vistas of Blade Runner or the ancient world of Gladiator but for an urban epic. American Gangster gives the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a real-life Harlem crime lord who built an empire on Southeast Asian heroin in the 1970s. Running parallel to Lucas's somewhat standard story is the investigation led by a persistent New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts is a more interesting character than Lucas--too honest for his own good, unlucky in his personal life--and this kind of character, easily patronized by others, fits Crowe like a polyester shirt. Scott's tendency to hit his points square on the noggin is much in evidence here, including the typecasting of the supporting roles and the predictable Serpico atmosphere of the whole thing. (And speaking of supporting actors, the film needs more Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose role as a Lucas sidekick feels cut down.) It succeeds as a kind of chewy entertainment, fueled by the presence of two big stars working their muscles. Both Washington and Crowe look pretty brawny here. --Robert Horton

Beyond American Gangster on DVD

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Stills from American Gangster (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Denzel commands the screen in an otherwise middling rise & fall tale
Although decent, this movie could've used some tighter editing (Pietro Scalia is usually very dependable - what went wrong?) and a stronger overall story arc. There are some scenes of individual power - almost all of them involving Denzel Washington as the villain. But Russell Crowe's child custody subplot is unnecessary as they could've mentioned it in one scene or even a line and it would've had the same impact.

Plus, it lacks the scope and visceral shock of movies like the first two Godfather films or Goodfellas. There's nothing here you haven't really seen before (unless you're totally unfamiliar with the gangster genre) and no memorable/iconic sequences.

Ridley Scott should probably stick to directing sword & sandal epics or sci-fi thrillers because this doesn't play to his strengths. I'm not unhappy with the final result but I have no desire to see it again. You'd probably be better off renting it when you've got nothing else to do instead of buying the DVD.

STANDOUT: Josh Brolin as the corrupt Special Investigations Unit detective. His performance was appropriately slimy, intimidating and fascinating.

WE ENJOYED THIS MOVIE
THE TRAILERS FOR THIS MOVIE MADE IT OUT TO BE REALLY GOOD, IT WAS. IT HELD OUR ATTENTION AND WE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT. (RE: THE UNCUT/UNRATED VERSION)

engrossing story of corruption and gangster entrepreneurship
As I was warned that there is "nothing new" about this film, I was unsure if it was worth it. To be sure, the story is pretty run-of-the-mill: after a long apprenticeship with a Harlem manipulator, a young hustler figures out a new way to get pure heroin into the country. He then runs it like a business, establishing a superior brand and building an empire. Meanwhile, a cop focuses on him, and you can guess the rest.

What made this a fabulous experience was the acting: Washington is second to none in his ability to project an entire environment and background into every gesture. Crowe is also superb as an honest, though troubled cop, who gets extraordinary powers to build a team and pursue him. In between, you get a vivid (and thankfully not too detailed) picture of the times, from the Vietnam War to the changing role of blacks in US society. Taken together, the film is a true gem, one of Scott's best in my opinion.

Warmly recommended.