Directed by:
Ridley ScottScreenplay:
Steven ZaillianCinematography:
Harris SavidesComposer:
Marc StreitenfeldCast:
Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Lymari Nadal, Ted Levine, Roger Guenveur Smith, John Hawkes, RZA, Yul Vazquez, Malcolm Goodwin (more)VOD (3)
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Armed with ruthless, street-wise tactics and a strict sense of honor, crime boss Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) rules Harlem's chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) sets out to bring down Lucas's multi-million dollar empire, it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation. (Universal Pictures US)
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Reviews (13)
Impressed by its high ratings and aware that it was one of the most acclaimed films of last year, I expected an exceptional experience that did not materialize, though this is not to say it was a bad film. However, many gangster epics have been produced in the United States, and Ridley Scott's film does not rank among the very best. My favorites remain the older films by Scorsese and Coppola. Ridley Scott adds perhaps only racial issues and the trauma of the Vietnam War to the classic gangster theme. The first half of the film moves at a slow pace, and Russell Crowe seemed quite unremarkable to me. Most of the scenes felt familiar, as if I had seen them somewhere before, and they could have been shot with a bit more atmosphere. Nevertheless, it is a high-budget blockbuster, skillfully edited, with excellent music and good actors. Overall impression: 75%.
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It’s probably true, Ridley Scott, is getting better the older he gets. He’s directing even stronger stories than in the past, but just as visually brilliant, and the actors in them play fantastically – better than ever before. One would expect that at his age he would only enjoy making movies and shoot easygoing films like A Good Year, but that's not the case. Scott is fiercely pursuing success, he’s still as enthusiastic about filmmaking as before, and thanks to this spirit, he was able to make a thrilling and intense film like American Gangster. Fantastic in terms of acting (Denzel Washington is magnificent), visually brilliant (cinematography, editing) and in terms of the production design and complex depiction of the 1970s in the American metropolis, it is hard to beat. It’s not a better film than Goodfellas (slower pace), but in the current times of garbage in the sewage, it is a clean, winding and proud bandage on the cinematography of commercial Hollywood. After the second and third screening, one of the best gangster movies ever. Better, more compact and with a bigger heart than Goodfellas. Josh Brolin is awesome and so is Washington.
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A solid and coherent gangster movie. Maybe not very attractive at first glance due to the long running time, but the trio of Ridley Scott, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe is like clockwork and the entertainment was taken care of. Great story, sharp lines, killing, brutality, an interesting ending. I'm very satisfied. 80%
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"My man." Two men standing opposite one another. Both on different sides of the law. But first impressions can be wrong... No, this isn’t Mann’s Heat, but American Gangster is very similar. Or so you would have thought. You can even see images reminiscent of Once Upon a Time in America, The Godfather and Goodfellas. Ridley Scott decided that it’s about time that he won one of those director’s awards, and with this movie, it might just work. We can only hope that this won’t be Scott’s swan song. Because this is a perfect and flawless picture. Well, almost perfect. But it has an unignorable snag - everything that this movie shows you, you have seen before in one of the above genre classics. It’s not directly plagiarism, but it has nothing to surprise us with. On the other hand, Scott presents it in such a perfect technical wrapping, so atmospherically and so perfectly cast that this fact is completely overshadowed... American Gangster is a splendid genre picture, but nothing more. For that, it lacks any invention whatsoever. That said, this does nothing to impair the watching experience.
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An excellent, atmospheric gangster movie. Perfect directing from Ridley Scott, excellent acting performances from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe is further enhanced by an excellent screenplay. And Josh Brolin made a really good impression on me; he’s appearing in better and better roles these days.
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