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American Gangster
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American Gangster (2007) More at IMDb Pro »

Photos (see all 104 | slideshow) Videos (see all 15)
American Gangster Trailer
Clip: Frank lectures Huey about being too flashy
Interview: Ridley Scott "On the contrast between the two characters"

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   86,326 votes
Director:
Ridley Scott
Writers (WGA):
Steven Zaillian (written by)
Mark Jacobson (article)
Release Date:
2 November 2007 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
There are two sides to the American dream.
Plot:
In 1970s America, a detective works to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far East. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 26 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(97 articles)
Grammys Right Oscar Wrongs, Nominate 'Dark Knight' and 'There Will Be Blood'
 (From Cinematical. 4 December 2008, 6:02 AM, PST)

Milk Movie Trailer 2
 (From toxicshock. 3 December 2008, 11:00 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Detractors of this film were fooled by the trailer. more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Return of Superfly (USA) (working title)
Tru Blu (USA) (original script title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality.
Runtime:
157 min | USA:176 min (unrated version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | Ireland:16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #43495) | Finland:K-15 | Taiwan:R-18 (original rating) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Japan:R-15 | France:U (with warning) | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:18PL | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | Peru:14 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Australia:MA
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 16% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Denzel Washington played the cop while Russell Crowe played the villain in the Action/Sci-Fi movie Virtuosity (1995). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Frank goes to see the boxing match, Joe Fraiser vs. Muhammad Ali in Ali's first match against Fraiser, they announce him as Muhammad Ali, but it was actually Cassius Clay vs. Fraiser - he didn't change his name to Ali until later on. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Bumpy Johnson: Happy Thanksgiving!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Drillbit Taylor (2008) more
Soundtrack:
Only The Strong Survive more

FAQ

Why does Frank burn the Coat Eva gave him in the scene right after he gets married?
Why is the shot of Frank walking into an empty diner, shooting, dropping his weapon and leaving missing from the final cut?
Is "American Gangster" based on a true story?
more
362 out of 485 people found the following comment useful:-
Detractors of this film were fooled by the trailer., 24 October 2007
8/10
Author: andrewfreeley87 from United States

American Gangster has been really hated upon in many of the former posts I have read. Yet it seems like they are all saying the same thing, that Gangster didn't have enough action and was really drawn out. Anyone who has every seen a Ridley Scott film will know that his films are long! Blade Runner, A Good Year, Matchstick Men, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, G.I. Jane, Thelma and Louis, and Alien all ran for at least two hours or more, so big surprise there guys. In addition Scott didn't set out to film another scarface, he set out to tell a story not just about Frank Lucas but rather a tale of corruption and how pervasive it is. One user commented that this film had many side story lines that "bloated" the story. This is completely untrue as every "side story" is actually the overarching story about the fight against corruption in every facet of life, even Frank Lucas attempts several times to eradicate the corruption in his organization.

Over all this is a great film which really gets into every nook and cranny of an issue. Don't see this film if your just looking for cheap thrills, this is a thinking film about the pervasive dishonesty of our culture.

I gave this film 8 stars because i could find nothing solid that detracted from it, but rather a slew of minor details which gradually brought its score down. But I will put this film in my top films for the year, if only because I have been immensely unsatisfied with the bulk of releases this year.

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Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for American Gangster (2007)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Anyone else agree it's boring? mecfc
Performance of Denzel Washington celiax-1
One of the most error filled period movies ever! jonjax71
reviewer wrong jamesroo
The industry has its head up its ass. crackingfilms-1
Eva... emma_304
more

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