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American Gangster (2007)

Director: Ridley Scott

Time Out rating

Average user rating

30 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

As biopic movie-meat, this extraordinary true story aches with subtext: ’70s Harlem druglord, Frank Lucas built an empire via killer market force – smuggling low-cost, high-impact heroin right through the fog of the Vietnam war. It’s worth epic treatment, all 157 minutes of it. And, right from the title, Ridley Scott guns for nothing less than the twenty-first century’s first great crime saga: the American dream re-cut as a New York dope opera.

Doesn’t it show. More hyper-aware than hyper-real, Scott’s meticulous aesthetics can’t touch the urban texture and deep focus of ‘The French Connection’, ‘The Godfather’, ‘Serpico’ and ‘Prince of the City’ – all looming heavily in intertextual nods. What’s more, writer Steven Zaillian strains to splice a ‘Scarface’ rise and fall with a ‘Heat’-styled crisscross character-study, as untouchable cop Richie Roberts’ (Crowe, buttoned into a low-key role) toils to bring down Lucas (Washington) and the corrupt NYPD narcs. But for all the fractured mirroring, this is Lucas’ story – and Washington’s movie. He’s immense: centring every scene with tractor-beam charisma, that dangerous, easy charm hovering between a luxury smile or blazing violence.

Like much of his oeuvre, Scott’s scaled-up movie is bigger than life – and lesser for it. But while never digging deeply or darkly enough to match its own grand vision of itself, slick technique drives the story forward with pace and style. The finish rushes in: a brilliantly constructed police take-down, a magnetic collision between two Oscar-winning alpha males and a gift-wrapped coda which confirms that, in Hollywood, mythology always trumps morality.

Author: Jonathan Crocker

Time Out London Issue 1943: November 14-20 2007

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User reviews of this film

Magmabulle said...

Posted on Jun 08 2008 20:24 Denzel Washington is always worth watching, and all in all it is a well-made gangster movie.

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Les Molloy said...

Posted on Apr 06 2008 01:04 Without even reading the TO review of American Gangster I would just like to say how Geoffrey Speller has hit the nail on the head with his comments about TO reviews. In fact his comments may be applied to almost all TO film reviews published. I used to read the reviews, ending up with a headache and none the wiser as far as the film is concerned. Unfortunately, as a listing magazine in London, there are not many alternaitives. What annoys me is they don't always get the listings correct!

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geoffrey speller said...

Posted on Jan 29 2008 09:11 May I comment on the review. I have never such a pile of psuedo, pretentious crap in my many years of reading film reviews. Here is someone writing only for himself, no doubt filled with admiration of his work. As the saying goes, less is more and in the case of the reviewer, I would suggest 'less' to the point of disappearing. An absolutely dreadfully written review in every respect. A text book piece I would suggest for budding film reviewers as an example of how not to write.

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JULIII said...

Posted on Jan 01 2008 15:27 huh?

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Jamie said...

Posted on Dec 30 2007 09:57 Denzel amazing as always but Russel isn@t a gangster

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Jemma said...

Posted on Dec 20 2007 14:04 I think this film was good but it was a bit long. At times I felt it was a bit drawn out/ I did like it but I definately wont be buying it and I probably wouldnt watch it again if it was on TV. I preferred Russel Crowes performance in Gladiator.

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Timi said...

Posted on Dec 18 2007 14:18 A star studed film no doubt but a spectacular performance from Denzel overshadowed every other casts in the film.....nothing beats "The Goodfellas" though in this Category!!!

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lava said...

Posted on Dec 10 2007 21:36 can not wait to watch it @!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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jordan costello said...

Posted on Dec 07 2007 22:52 this film was amazing. Also based on a true story (I checked aswell to make sure lmao). It was great!

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dave said...

Posted on Dec 07 2007 20:57 Amazing film. 3hours in cinema totally worth it

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Joey said...

Posted on Dec 03 2007 11:47 Although a long film the time flies and before you know it you are going home. Excellent acting by the two main leads but it would have been nicer if they had spent more time together on screen to show the power of their acting.

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andrea said...

Posted on Dec 03 2007 09:08 I think some people must have seen a different film to the one I saw! Awesome - is all I can say. Russell Crowe nearly as good as he was in Gladiator and Denzel - excellent as always. This film has oscars written all over it!

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ssnowman said...

Posted on Dec 02 2007 22:10 Loved this film, just brilliant.

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spacey said...

Posted on Dec 02 2007 15:22 no depth,forgettable music, stale story line, the script producing little tension between main protagonists ,after twenty minutes I sat back and said to myself, will I stay or will I go for this is a mediocre show,Ill stay for Russell Crowe whose overweight pasty and slow ...a gangster movie should make me love and hate ,take me underground where psychologies are brutal and personality stinks of crass perversion, but this had neither. Give me Robin Hood versus the sheriff any day. Or five minutes of the godfather would suffice. Two megastars do not a potent picture make...morality needs sinister tension as its bedpartner, I did like the idea of heroes and heroin in coffins, symbolism which ought to kick off a whole lotta deep soul searching on screen and less slick cinematography. Wasted opportunity.

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tom said...

Posted on Nov 29 2007 08:38 this was a phat film

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