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Movies / On DVD / American Gangster
American Gangster

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American Gangster (2007)

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Reviews Counted:56

Fresh:30

Rotten:26

Average Rating:2.8/10

Consensus: American Gangster is a gritty and entertaining throwback to classic gangster films, with its lead performers firing on all cylinders.

Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality.

Runtime: 2 hrs 38 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:16-11-2007

Synopsis: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott team to tell the true juggernaut success story of a cult figure from the streets of 1970s Harlem in American Gangster. Nobody used... Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott team to tell the true juggernaut success story of a cult figure from the streets of 1970s Harlem in American Gangster. Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (OscarŽ winner Washington), the quiet driver to one of the inner city's leading black crime bosses. But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the American Dream. Through ingenuity and a strict business ethic, he comes to rule the inner-city drug trade, flooding the streets with a purer product at a better price. Lucas outplays all of the leading crime syndicates and becomes not only one of the city's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of legit civic superstars. Richie Roberts (OscarŽ winner Crowe) is an outcast cop close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Roberts believes someone is climbing the rungs above the known Mafia families and starts to suspect that a black power player has come from nowhere to dominate the scene. Both Lucas and Roberts share a rigorous ethical code that sets them apart from their own colleagues, making them lone figures on opposite sides of the law. The destinies of these two men will become intertwined as they approach a confrontation where only one of them can come out on top. Washington (Training Day) and Crowe (Gladiator) lead a spectacular cast of accomplished and rising stars--Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, Armand Assante, John Ortiz, John Hawkes, RZA, Common and T.I.--in this blistering tale of a true American entrepreneur directed by OscarŽ nominee Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and produced by Academy AwardŽ winner Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind) and Scott from a screenplay by Academy AwardŽ winner Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List). -- © Universal Pictures [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chjwetel Ejiofor

Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Carla Gugino, Ted Levine, John Hawkes, RZA, Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding, Armand Assante, John Ortiz, Common, T.I.

Director: Ridley Scott

Director: Ridley Scott
Screenwriter: Steve Zallian
Producer: Brian Grazer, Ridley Scott
Composer: Marc Streitenfeld
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for American Gangster

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/05/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: CinemaZone.dk | comment Comment
10/18/08
CinemaZone.dk
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CurrentFilm.com | comment Comment
10/18/08
Aaron Beierle
Aaron Beierle
CurrentFilm.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
07/22/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
DVDTalk.com

Violent, drug-fueled drama isn't for kids.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
07/09/08
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Common Sense Media
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVDFuture.com | comment Comment
06/11/08
R. L. Shaffer
R. L. Shaffer
DVDFuture.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dvdrama | comment Comment
04/14/08
Dvdrama
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: DVD Savant | comment Comment
02/27/08
Glenn Martin Erickson
Glenn Martin Erickson
DVD Savant

With the exceptional extras piled on, the unrated-extended DVD let's you judge drug lord Lucas for yourself.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
02/22/08
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: dvdmg.com | comment Comment
02/22/08
dvdmg.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
02/22/08
ComingSoon.net
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
02/21/08
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVD Verdict | comment Comment
02/20/08
Ryan Keefer
Ryan Keefer
DVD Verdict
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
02/20/08
William David Lee
William David Lee
DVDTown.com

Steven Zallian (Gangs of New York) tackles the screenplay, which is based on an article by Mark Jacobson, and creates a captivating story with an otherwise basic premise.

Full Review Source: Bronsonfive | comment Comment
02/18/08
Michael Ferraro
Michael Ferraro
Bronsonfive
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVD Beaver | comment Comment
02/14/08
DVD Beaver
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/13/08
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

American Gangster DVD Review: The Unrated Extended Special Edition.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
02/09/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

Feels like an overextended gangsta rap video, given its periodic graphic displays of gratuitous violence and its repeated resort to topless women as props carefully-positioned for purposes of titillation.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
11/04/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
all

Latest News for American Gangster

August 16, 2008: ByAnyMediaNecessary.com: The equal opportunity bone crunching pits real life black druglord kingpin Lucas (a grinning, scary Denzel) and Crowe's womanizing, eager beaver Jewish NYPD crime buster in an ethnically diverse, cat and mouse go at it. Opens in new window
More...

August 16, 2008: ByAnyMediaNecessary.com: The equal opportunity bone crunching pits real life black druglord kingpin Lucas (a grinning, scary Denzel) and Crowe's womanizing, eager beaver Jewish NYPD crime buster in an ethnically diverse, cat and mouse go at it. Opens in new window
More...

July 07, 2008: American Gangster Sequel Coming? Opens in new window
Is Universal filming American Gangster 2 in Puerto Rico? More...

May 06, 2008: 2008 MTV Movie Award Nominations Announced
It's almost time to hand out some golden popcorn -- the nominations for the 2008 MTV Movie Awards have been announced! More...

See All

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