American Gangster (2007)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The best: Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and the luxury secondary do it magnificently, none of them out of tune, much of this merit has the costumes and hairdressing. THE, yes in uppercase. The third act changes the rhythm of the film and creates a dynamism that helps the final sprint in a film that can be accused of lack of rhythm in the early stages. The final interrogation between the protagonists is the best possible closure. The worst: The first two acts are excessively slow and in some tedious moments, personal mark of Ridley Scott.

Directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian, the film is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by detective Richie Roberts. Denzel Washington was brilliant as Frank Lucas and not to forget Russell Crowe in the role of Richie Roberts. The movie was nominated for a couple of Oscars, Ruby Dee for the Actress in the best performance in a supporting role and Arthur Max and Beth A. Rubino for the best achievement in Art Direction. The movie is tough and at the same time entertaining as well. The Director has shuffled the classic scenes and designed the gangster theme in a justified way. It is somewhat scary but thrillingly real American classic.

Denzel Washington delivers a strong performance in this otherwise underwhelming movie that fails expectations due to bad cinematography, hyperactive pacing and rushed editing. The scenes feel disjointed and just feel like they have been clustered together, while the cinematography continues shaking the screen as you become dizzy while to attempt to pay attention to the film. Now that we got that out of the way the acting and dialogue remain strong in their form as they shadow the cons of the film and stand tall, as well as the script and interesting true story the film's based on. Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington both share their perspectives of the scenario happening and the film delivers the audience a two-sided coin that is tossed in the air on the occasions. This film could of been good because of these pros, but I just thought that those cons somehow pushed into the viewing experience, therefore ruining it, which is why I give this a 6.3/10. It was sad, really; I really wanted to like this. Oh well.

Director Ridley Scott's Output is Inconsistent. He has made some Great Award Winning Films and a Substantial Number that are Not.The Gangster Genre has its Modern Era Royalty..."The Godfathers" (1972-90)..."Scarface" (1983)..."Goodfellas" (1990)..."Donnie Brasco" (1997)... etc. and the Director Knocks on the Castle Door with this Epic, but some say that He was Denied Entry.The Film is Rich with 1970's Culture, has Two Powerhouse Leads (Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe), a Budget to Kill for ($100 million), a Fine and Respected Screen Writer (Steven Zaillian), and a Sprawl of Characters and Locations. It Looks Great, has an Enormous Running Time (157/176 min), and Gangster Culture is almost Always Box-Office Booty when done on this Level.It's a Good Movie, with its Attention to Detail Rewarding, the Big Cast List is Populated with A-List Character Actors, and the Story is True Life Legend. Professional comes to Mind when the Movie Unreels. But it somehow lacks the Spark of the New that the Kings of the Genre have in Common.While it Fails to Ignite, it does Blow By some of its more Mediocre Contemporaries. However, the Film is too Conventional in a Category that is so Common, so Ingrained in American Culture, it takes more than just Professionalism to make it Rise to the Top."American Gangster" is Not one of the Director's Least Inspired Projects, it's Better than quite a few of His Recent Films. There is much to See here and while it didn't make it into the "Gangster Court" of the Truly Greats of the Genre, it's No "Fugazi" Either.