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.System Requirements:Running Time: 174 minutes Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CRIME & CRIMINALS Rating: NR UPC: 025193228024 Manufacturer No: 61032280

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #686 in DVD
• Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
• Released on: 2008-02-19
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.25 pounds
• Running time: 174 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

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Stills from American Gangster (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

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.

Bought a DVD
Speedy delivery from the USA to Europe. Happy both with the product and the speed. To be recommended

Don't mess with Denzel
Great gangster movie. A nice departure from usual organized crime films about italian families or the modern day rap star gang bangers. Denzel Washington is a fabulous actor. He consumes the leading role of Frank Lucas, a man from Carolina that is tutored under a crime boss in Harlem for 15 years. After his mentor passes away, he fights to maintain the "kingdom" that was established. He revolutionizes the way that his "type" of business is conducted. Being a true story, I'm glad they didn't only glamourize the gangster lifestyle. They show the way that the drug trade affects the everyday people, including showing junkies passed out on filthy floors while Frank and his family eat Thanksgiving dinner. There's a certain morality to the story once you reach the end of the film. I've loved every movie I've seen where Washington plays the heel.