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

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.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 20, 2022

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.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 20, 2022

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

| Original Score: 10/10 | Nov 24, 2020

American Gangster is a modestly flawed yet consistently entertaining crime drama.

| Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Sep 2, 2020

A highly entertaining crime epic that may feel a little familiar, but succeeds thanks to the star power of its two leads.

| Original Score: B+ | Oct 29, 2019

[Denzel Washington] is all charisma. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 17, 2019

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

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 5, 2019

Though it's certainly admirable to aim high, it's like Frank Lucas himself says: "Either you're somebody, or you ain't nobody." Unfortunately for American Gangster, it ends up somewhere between the two.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 3, 2012

It's 157 minutes long, but immerses its audience with its twists and intricacies as it plays out and considers the logistics and consequences of crime and police corruption, with a plethora of show-stealing performances from the cast.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 14, 2011

Flattened by Scott's cardboard evocation of New York in the '70s, Zaillian's shallow criticism of corrupting power, and weirdly bloodless performances

| Aug 27, 2009

File this one under "American Oscar Wanna-Be."

| Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 23, 2009

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

| Oct 18, 2008

| Original Score: D+ | Oct 18, 2008

Washington may have not wanted to glorify the Harlem drug dealer, but with his superb acting skills he has created one of the coolest gangsters since Tony Montana.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 20, 2008

Telling a true story doesn't excuse a filmmaker from making his movie stand out from the many others that have traversed similar ground.

| Original Score: 2/5 | May 1, 2008

It feels familiar, even Washington's performance of real-life Frank Lucas feels like something we've seen before.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Mar 4, 2008

It isn't that American Gangster is an empirically bad film or is even unenjoyable. But don't be surprised if, when you walk out of the theater, you forget the film ever existed.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Feb 28, 2008

Inflated talk of American Gangster as a modern masterpiece--or even an Oscar-worthy picture--ignores the fact that there's not a single memorable setpiece in the film.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 19, 2008

Best of all, there are top-flight performances from both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe who create interesting, rounded characters out of potential clichés.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 12, 2008