Review of American Gangster (2007) by Colins. — 17 Nov 2007
It's odd when I call a film with a score of 76 "underrated," but that's exactly what American Gangster is. This is a shocking, captivating, yet soulful portrait of Frank Lucas and 1970s Harlem.
Denzel ignites the screen with Lucas' cocky, confident swagger, loathing his ememies yet loving his family twice as much. And Crowe matches him stride for stride as Richie Roberts, the morally righteous cop who can't seem to find a balance in his own life.
Alonside the performances is miraculous set design, aborbing the essence of 70s Harlem, plus a bonus trip to Bankok and Vietnam. Also, this film in necessarilly long...a shorter film wouldn't do justice for the dozens on intriguing characters that leave lasting impressions, from the watchful eye of Frank's mother to the 4 brothers and their lust for.
..well...whatever Frank does. American Gangster will rattle you emotionally, but it's still too entertaining to be missed. My only complaint: the bad, bad fake confetti snow...I think Ridley Scott used the shreddings of all the poor scripts he's written.
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This review of American Gangster (2007) was written by Colins. on 17 Nov 2007.
American Gangster has generally received very positive reviews.
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