American Gangster

Released Nov 2, 2007

2h 37m

Crime

Drama

Biography

List

81%

Tomatometer

217 Reviews

90%

Audience Score

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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Bob Mondello

NPR.org

Ridley Scott's gangster flick aims high and mostly measures up.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

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

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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Ryan B

Similar ground of the tale of the rise and fall of a gangster however this is one of the best to do it & Denzel’s performance is very good. I loved the music choices, the settings and the story of Lucas. However it lacks the violence and tension other gangster flicks drum up better however this is still an incredible movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/19/24

Full Review

Alysha S

4.69. The story is incredible and must have left viewers wondering if the war on drugs should end in America. The film also reminds how complex humanity is. The acting is wonderful and the pacing is top-notch. "American Gangster" about halfway through compelled me to say, out loud, "This is a good movie."

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/28/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I just rewatched this movie after quite a few years. It was as amazing as it was the first time!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/26/24

Full Review

Marko A

Entertaining story line and great acting make this movie a classic. Denzel Washington leads the pack for an amazing performance worthy of attention.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/22/24

Full Review

Dan R

A brutal depiction of drug riddled new york through 60s, 70s and 80s. Great story telling and another great casting, you could easily side with either party in this movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/08/24

Full Review

Mate P

American Gangster is a good movie. It's interesting, it's well-paced, even though it's two and a half hours long. It's brutal and realistic, which is great, but the main character, Richie wasn't relatable enough. I couldn't really root for him, because he was very cruel with his wife. Maybe this is just personal preference, because I know this is as realistic as it can get, but it was a little disturbing for me. I also didn't like that they tried to make us feel with Frank Lucas in the end. 15 years was not enough for this guy, he did not become the good guy, because he helped turn in some other bad guys. From their perspective he is a traitor. So this film is far from perfect, but it's good and that's just perfectly enough.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

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

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