American Gangster (2007)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers (WGA):

Steven Zaillian (written by)
Mark Jacobson (article)

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

There are two sides to the American dream.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Heroin | Death | 1970s | Policeman | Vietnam

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Return of Superfly (USA) (working title)
Tru Blu (USA) (original script title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

157 min | USA:176 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | Ireland:16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #43495) | Finland:K-15 | Taiwan:R-18 (original rating) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Japan:R-15 | France:U (with warning) | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:18PL | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | Peru:14 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Australia:MA | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Briarcliff Manor, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In the late 1980s, screenwriter Thomas Lee Wright wrote an outline of The Godfather: Part III (1990) for Francis Ford Coppola. Included in Wright's version was a character based off of famed Harlem gangster, Leroy 'Nicky' Barnes (portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in this film). During the time that Coppola was considering this idea, Wright discussed the role with Eddie Murphy, who immediately accepted the role without reading a script.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the end of the film, when Frank Lucas is released from prison and is standing on the sidewalk in front of the prison, an 'extra' walks from the right of the screen to the left and passes. In the next shot the same man is shown passing the same way.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bumpy Johnson: Happy Thanksgiving!

Movie Connections:

References Across 110th Street (1972)

Soundtrack:

How Great Thou Art

Detractors of this film were fooled by the trailer.

American Gangster has been really hated upon in many of the former posts I have read. Yet it seems like they are all saying the same thing, that Gangster didn't have enough action and was really drawn out. Anyone who has every seen a Ridley Scott film will know that his films are long! Blade Runner, A Good Year, Matchstick Men, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, G.I. Jane, Thelma and Louis, and Alien all ran for at least two hours or more, so big surprise there guys. In addition Scott didn't set out to film another scarface, he set out to tell a story not just about Frank Lucas but rather a tale of corruption and how pervasive it is. One user commented that this film had many side story lines that "bloated" the story. This is completely untrue as every "side story" is actually the overarching story about the fight against corruption in every facet of life, even Frank Lucas attempts several times to eradicate the corruption in his organization.

Over all this is a great film which really gets into every nook and cranny of an issue. Don't see this film if your just looking for cheap thrills, this is a thinking film about the pervasive dishonesty of our culture.

I gave this film 8 stars because i could find nothing solid that detracted from it, but rather a slew of minor details which gradually brought its score down. But I will put this film in my top films for the year, if only because I have been immensely unsatisfied with the bulk of releases this year.