American Gangster

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American Gangster

R

Released Nov 2, 2007

2h 37m

Crime

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

213 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Frank Lucas 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; veteran cop Richie Roberts senses a change in the mob's power structure and looks for ways to bring his opponent to justice.

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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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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

Amy Nicholson

I.E. Weekly

Scott's not interested in fireworks but small implosions of the soul and ego.

Rated: B

Feb 3, 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

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Wayne

Definitely worth watching

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/08/24

Full Review

Audience Member

A classic movie. Loved Crowe and Washington in this

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

Jonathan O

American Gangster has the vibe of Scorsese's Goodfellas but in it's own style and both Denzel and Russell did really great performance and Ruby Dee (rip) does really amazing supporting role as Mama Lucas.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/25/25

Full Review

Matthew T

If American Gangster feels more Hollywood than history, that’s because it is. While loosely based on real events, most of the real-life figures have admitted that the film takes significant creative liberties. This is why movies are no substitute for history class. As entertainment, though, it’s a solid crime film. The pacing starts slow but keeps you hooked. It captures the grime and glamour of the ’70s, the mobsters who ran the streets, and the few "untouchable" cops resistant to the corruption running deep in drug enforcement. At its core, it’s an action-packed drama about two men on opposite sides of the law: one building an empire through crime, the other a determined detective fighting against the odds to take him down. And, as all great crime stories do, it ends with a sense of American justice for all, that largely smooths over the rough edges of the true story it is based on.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/29/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Mafia movies just hit when set in NYC. A gritty crime-drama based on a true story, set during one of the most notorious crime periods for New York City. Ridley Scott continues to prove there is not a sub-genre in existence that he is unable to direct expertly, but it definitely helps having one of the most talented leading men of the generation, Denzel Washington, starring as Frank Lucas. Russell Crowe’s acting skill set works well in Scott’s films, this time as Detective Richie Roberts. Denzel and Russell have great-screen chemistry with each other as well as with the rest of the eclectic cast. It is a more contemporary NYC mafia movie that holds its own against similar great films.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

Full Review

Aleksandar D

Denzel brings the Training Day level of performance here. Great movie that I could watch over & over again.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

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Ridley Scott

Director

Denzel Washington

Frank Lucas

Russell Crowe

Richie Roberts

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Huey Lucas

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Nicky Barnes

Josh Brolin

Detective Trupo

American Gangster: Official Clip - Don't Lie to Your Mother

1:52

American Gangster: Official Clip - Progress

2:59

American Gangster: Official Clip - The End For Frank

1:42

American Gangster: Official Clip - Heroin House Raid

2:45

American Gangster: Official Clip - Above the Mafia

1:52

American Gangster: Official Clip - Drive-By Shooting

1:49

American Gangster: Official Clip - Diluting the Brand

2:54

American Gangster: Official Clip - Somebody Or Nobody

2:00

American Gangster: Official Clip - The Right Thing To Do

2:26

American Gangster: Official Clip - Fed Up

2:08

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Synopsis

Frank Lucas 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; veteran cop Richie Roberts senses a change in the mob's power structure and looks for ways to bring his opponent to justice.

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Brian Grazer, Ridley Scott, Dan Griffin
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
Runtime: 2h 37m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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