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Rating of
2.5/4
Hmmm....I'm not sure...
Nikwat - wrote on 11/11/2007
Well, first I will say that I read the novelization of the screenplay. Hence I am disappointed, yet even if I hadn't read that I would still be....wanting more. Obviously things get left on the cutting floor...but it seemed rushed. Yes rushed, and came in at over two and a half hours. But like I said, I read the book (freshly and stylishly written by the way-read the book!) and I had the movie in my head...and it just didn't look the way I saw it so maybe I'm...I don't know, biased? Anyways it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be. After the book, I was salivating, just waiting for Sunday at 1:50 to come. It came. I went. It went. Now I either wish I hadn't read the book, or watched the movie. One or the other. Not both. To sum it up, going in I was almost positive this would be a …
Rating of
1.5/4
American What? Gangster? Nooo
manoj91 - wrote on 11/03/2007
Directing is key - Spielberg does it without stars and makes good
films. Tony Scott and zel are a good pair. My fav was crimson tide - it
rules, it rocks. There was no such tension in this movie - prob because
it's based on a true story, and jerry goldsmith's orchestral scores
were missing. So its about a good cop investigating this business man.
Plot's not important. But zel didn't get a lot of dialogue to express
his character's character (I know it's redundant).
I would've liked to see more of zel talking and yelling, and getting
mad or happy through dialogue (not that serious look he has in most of
the film) with occasional outbursts of murdering his fellow men. Ha ha.
I liked it when he busted a cap.
Russell crowe - holds his own ground - brilliantly - more of a …
Rating of
3/4
Bloated Exposition Hampers Otherwise Great Film
newmans_own - wrote on 11/03/2007
The film seems more interested in character study than thrills, concentrating mostly on Lucas. He is, by all outward appearances, a decent man; he takes care of his family, has a loving wife and has worked his way to the top by himself. The only thing that’s keeping him from being a hero is the fact that he smuggles drugs for a living. It also helps that Lucas is played by Washington, one of Hollywood’s most likable stars. The film takes many moments to showcase Lucas’s alteration between family man and ruthless criminal, and Washington certainly delivers in these moments. It’s all a bit ho-hum (the shock of him as a villain seems to have worn off), but solid work nonetheless. Much more compelling, though sadly misused, is Crowe. Roberts is given basically nothing to do …
Rating of
3.5/4
Review - American Gangster (2007)
Delorted - wrote on 10/31/2007
In the 1970's, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) ran a drug empire without the police ever suspecting a thing, that is until Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) came on the scene in the film, "American Gangster."
This film is based on the real life crime lord Frank Lucas and his reign in New York City from 1969 to 1975. His legacy was apparently very accurately documented, as the main consultants for the film were the real-life Lucas and Roberts. It's amazing watching this film and realizing how long he went unnoticed and unsuspected by the NYPD. The only problem with writing in this film is that it's nothing new. Roberts' marriage problems were depicted in the film in a very cliché way that has been seen too many times in film before. Other than that, the writing seems pretty …
