American Gangster (2007)

In 1970s America, a detective works to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far East.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers:

Steven Zaillian, Mark Jacobson (article)

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Frank Lucas
Russell Crowe	...	Richie Roberts
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Huey Lucas
Josh Brolin	...	Detective Trupo
Lymari Nadal	...	Eva
Ted Levine	...	Lou Toback
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Nate
John Hawkes	...	Freddie Spearman
RZA	...	Moses Jones
Yul Vazquez	...	Alfonso Abruzzo
Malcolm Goodwin	...	Jimmy Zee
Ruby Dee	...	Mama Lucas
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Doc
Carla Gugino	...	Laurie Roberts
Skyler Fortgang	...	Michael Roberts

Storyline

Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. As a result, his product is superior to what is currently available on the street and his prices are lower. His alliance with the New York Mafia ensures his position. It is also the story of a dedicated and honest policeman, Richie Roberts, who heads up a joint narcotics task force with the Federal government. Based on a true story.

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Plot Keywords:

heroin | death | vietnam | smuggling | 1970s | 

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Taglines:

There are two sides to the American dream.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Return of Superfly

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,564,853 (UK) (16 November 2007)

Gross:

$130,127,620 (USA) (25 January 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

157 min 176 min (Unrated Edition)

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story was first inspired by an article in New York Magazine written by Mark Jacobson. He was introduced to the real Frank Lucas by author Nicholas Pileggi. Not long afterwards, Pileggi encouraged Steven Zaillian to write an adaptation of Jacobson's article. While Zaillian was working on this, producer Brian Grazer bought the rights to the project.

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Goofs

Just after Frank Lucas hears the news of the imminent fall of Saigon on TV, and goes to ring his contact, a modern car drives past the window.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bumpy Johnson: Happy Thanksgiving!

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the closing credits, Frank Lucas approaches the camera and fires one shot from a pistol directly at the audience.

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Connections

Featured in The Oprah Winfrey Show: And the Nominees Are... (2008)

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Soundtracks

"What a Time It Was"
Written by Daniel May
Published by Revision West Music
Performed by Daniel May
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Mastersource

User Reviews

Surprisingly Coherent

Watch American Gangster without preconceived ideas. While the film is long it never drags. You don't get the sense that you've seen this movie before. It's not Serpico. It's not The Wire. It's not The Sopranos. While much is going on, the story is easy to follow. There is action, but this isn't an "action movie".

Both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe act convincingly and give depth to their characters.

The film leaves you wanting to know more about about happened to the lead characters. You care about them that much. Now *that's* film making.