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      American Gangster

      R Released Nov 2, 2007 2 hr. 37 min. Crime Drama Biography List
      81% 217 Reviews Tomatometer 90% 250,000+ Ratings Audience Score Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) earns his living as a chauffeur to one of Harlem's leading mobsters. After his boss dies, Frank uses his own ingenuity and strict business code to become one of the inner city's most powerful crime bosses. Meanwhile, veteran cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) senses a change in the mob's power structure and looks for ways to bring his opponent to justice. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Nov 14 Buy Now

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      American Gangster

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      American Gangster

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      Critics Consensus

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

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      Audience Reviews

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      Mate P American Gangster is a good movie. It's interesting, it's well-paced, even though it's two and a half hours long. It's brutal and realistic, which is great, but the main character, Richie wasn't relatable enough. I couldn't really root for him, because he was very cruel with his wife. Maybe this is just personal preference, because I know this is as realistic as it can get, but it was a little disturbing for me. I also didn't like that they tried to make us feel with Frank Lucas in the end. 15 years was not enough for this guy, he did not become the good guy, because he helped turn in some other bad guys. From their perspective he is a traitor. So this film is far from perfect, but it's good and that's just perfectly enough. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/04/24 Full Review Aidan M Denzel is great, his character is great, a classic gangster film! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/27/24 Full Review Dionisis T Definitely one of Ridley Scott's most underrated films with one of the most beautiful and talented casts of all time Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/13/24 Full Review Josh H Very good movie. If you love mob/gangster films, you'll like it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/24 Full Review Alec C One of Harlem's most dangerous criminals has gotten the Hollywood treatment! Frank Lucas plans to take over the drug trade and takes down everyone who's gotten in his way, with only idealistic cop Richie Roberts tracking him down and attempting to end his reign. This is more then just a crime story, but a story of America and its many opportunities to reach the top, legal or illegal! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review Tim M Ridley Scott's American Gangster isn't the crime epic it wants to be, but some visceral filmmaking and another commanding Denzel Washington performance help it stand out in the genre. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/24 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      American Gangster

      American Gangster: Official Clip - Don't Lie to Your Mother American Gangster: Official Clip - Don't Lie to Your Mother 1:52 American Gangster: Official Clip - Progress American Gangster: Official Clip - Progress 2:59 American Gangster: Official Clip - The End For Frank American Gangster: Official Clip - The End For Frank 1:42 American Gangster: Official Clip - Heroin House Raid American Gangster: Official Clip - Heroin House Raid 2:45 American Gangster: Official Clip - Above the Mafia American Gangster: Official Clip - Above the Mafia 1:52 American Gangster: Official Clip - Drive-By Shooting American Gangster: Official Clip - Drive-By Shooting 1:49 American Gangster: Official Clip - Diluting the Brand American Gangster: Official Clip - Diluting the Brand 2:54 American Gangster: Official Clip - Somebody Or Nobody American Gangster: Official Clip - Somebody Or Nobody 2:00 American Gangster: Official Clip - The Right Thing To Do American Gangster: Official Clip - The Right Thing To Do 2:26 American Gangster: Official Clip - Fed Up American Gangster: Official Clip - Fed Up 2:08 View more videos

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      American Gangster

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      Critics Reviews

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      Bob Mondello NPR.org Ridley Scott's gangster flick aims high and mostly measures up. Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Alonso Duralde MSNBC Telling a true story doesn't excuse a filmmaker from making his movie stand out from the many others that have traversed similar ground. Rated: 2/5 May 1, 2008 Full Review David Stratton At the Movies (Australia) Best of all, there are top-flight performances from both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe who create interesting, rounded characters out of potential clichés. Rated: 4/5 Feb 12, 2008 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Scott evokes the crime cinema of the seventies with his mix of gritty police thriller and sprawling crime epic (with a sprinkling of blaxploitation excess).... But its roots are equally in the rise-and-fall gangster thrillers of the eighties and nineties. Jun 11, 2023 Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn Despite having a personal connection to the story in this film, I also love this movie for the dialogue, performances (particularly Denzel's) and the music. Rated: 5/5 Nov 20, 2022 Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn Very solid performances anchored by Denzel. I think they could have trimmed 15-20 minutes of the Russell Crowe storyline and it would have been a near perfect film. Rated: 4/5 Nov 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) earns his living as a chauffeur to one of Harlem's leading mobsters. After his boss dies, Frank uses his own ingenuity and strict business code to become one of the inner city's most powerful crime bosses. Meanwhile, veteran cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) senses a change in the mob's power structure and looks for ways to bring his opponent to justice.
      Director
      Ridley Scott
      Executive Producer
      Nicholas Pileggi, Steven Zaillian, Branko Lustig, James Whitaker, Michael Costigan
      Screenwriter
      Steven Zaillian
      Distributor
      Universal Pictures
      Production Co
      Scott Free Productions
      Rating
      R (Nudity|Language|Pervasive Drug Content|Sexuality|Violence)
      Genre
      Crime, Drama, Biography
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 2, 2007, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 13, 2015
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $130.1M
      Sound Mix
      SDDS, DTS, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby SRD
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)
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