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

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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

Mr. S

For me, this is a great movie because it shows how Black gangs started to rise, apart from the Italian mafia stories we’re all so familiar with.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/20/25

Full Review

Cody W.

Overall, AMERICAN GANGSTER is a classic and unique crime story that truly deserves a lot of praise, and uniquely showcases Denzel Washington as a talented actor in his prime.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/03/25

Full Review

John F

Washington and Crowe do their best to lift up an otherwise mediocre story but can only do so much, while the supporting cast (with the exception of Ejiofor) comes across as cookie-cutter, two-dimensional characters, with Gooding and Brolin particularly bad.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

Full Review

Belo M

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe deliver unbeatable performances with keen character development and a detailed screenplay.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/23/25

Full Review

Movie W

Something akin to a time warp, stepping back into a time of higher filmmaking integrity and more personal visions.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/26/25

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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