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everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Brilliant and touching

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

So we learn that Frank Lucas (D. Washington) deals in heroin tat ruins lives and kills people, preys on the poor and corrupts law and order. Doesn't stop Ridley Scott from insisting that we identify with Frank Lucas and eventually warm to him for cooperating with the Feds to identify bent cops. The penultimate scene has him laughing fondly with Russell Crowe, the honest cop who hunted him down - Crowe offers him a celebratory drink. Scott allows Washington's seductive, reassuring grin to smile along with him, to insist on our sympathy. Laced with racist undertones (the white hero, Russell Crowe, finally concedes black Washington's redemption; not a single member of Frank Lucas's family of black brothers and cousins hesitates to join his murderous business with glee - black families stick together). Meanwhile, young people continue to die in squalor and despair on the streets - with plenty of gratuitous close-ups of real needles pushing into real flesh. The film is, at best, morally incoherent - at worst, it is a crude apology for wealth, private enterprise, and a sneaking admiration for buccaneering gangsters so redolent of Coppola and, in a more twisted way, Scorcese.

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.

American Gangster (2007) This is a biographical crime film based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. It has an all star cast including Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Josh Brolin, Norman Reedus and Cuba Gooding Jr. Many portrayed have stated that the film took a lot of creative license with the story. It was well received by audiences and was nominated for twenty-one awards, including two Academy Award nominations. It really was an excellent film. Fine work by all involved. It is regarded as one of the best gangster movies of the modern era.

One of the things I love most about Ridley Scott is his willingness to try everything, he's tried his hand at almost every genre in his career and while it's hasn't always workout for him I always admire the effort. But I don't just have to admire the effort here because I loved this movie, it's one of Ridley Scott's best and one of the greatest movies of 2007. A large part of that is due to its two central characters. I loved the character of Frank Lucas in this film he was so captivating I loved seeing his arc and business acumen and is by far one of Denzel Washingtons best and most complex performances. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott are great together I loved Crowes character because again he was a complex one I loved seeing him want more than what he had and I loved the scenes between these two characters. The world of Harlem in this movie just sucks you right in you immediately see what kind of place this is and see what's been done to it by people like Lucas. Another thing I loved about this movie was the fact that everything had consequences, we see with our own eyes the fallout of Lucas' dealings and make him a more well rounded character. I think this movie has some of the best uses of violence in a movie because it's used to enhance the story, the extra blood or close ups of drug ridden dead bodies sucks us into the atmosphere more. I also really liked Josh Brolin in this movie I thought his character added something to this movie his story arc of being a corrupt police officer paralleled very nicely with Crowes head strong, good-cop arc and added to the bleak atmosphere Scott was trying to create. other characters I loved seeing were Lucas' brother it set up a nice dynamic between them, it's was good to see them get sucked into this world and I thought it added to Washingtons character to see him slowly isolate everyone he loves and creates for some really disturbing sequences. If I have one flaw with this movie it would be that it's definitely similar in terms of style and tone to other Gangster flicks but if it works for what To filmmakers are trying to accomplish and it does just that then I'm fine with that for the most part but the only area I thought this didn't quite work for was the love story I just didn't think it added anything to this film and I didn't really buy the chemistry between the two. This is a fast paced, entertaining and long lasting crime thriller, it's one of Scott's best movies with great performances, very good character dynamics and arcs. It's definitely similar to other movies of this genre but it doesn't hold this movie back from its greatness. 91%/A