American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)

Delivery Time: 7 to 15 Working Days Format: DVD

Experience the never before seen, unrated & extended director's edition of American Gangster! Academy Award r winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe star in this gripping intense crime thriller about a story as powerful as it is true. American Gangster tells the story about the rise of one of Harlem's most notorious crime bosses and the outcast cop whose investigation lead to a climactic confrontation that altered the destiny of an entire generation in New York City.
Ridley Scott puts on his "sweeping saga" gameface again, this time not for the sci-fi vistas of Blade Runner or the ancient world of Gladiator but for an urban epic. American Gangster gives the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a real-life Harlem crime lord who built an empire on Southeast Asian heroin in the 1970s. Running parallel to Lucas's somewhat standard story is the investigation led by a persistent New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts is a more interesting character than Lucas--too honest for his own good, unlucky in his personal life--and this kind of character, easily patronized by others, fits Crowe like a polyester shirt. Scott's tendency to hit his points square on the noggin is much in evidence here, including the typecasting of the supporting roles and the predictable Serpico atmosphere of the whole thing. (And speaking of supporting actors, the film needs more Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose role as a Lucas sidekick feels cut down.) It succeeds as a kind of chewy entertainment, fueled by the presence of two big stars working their muscles. Both Washington and Crowe look pretty brawny here. --Robert Horton

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Stills from American Gangster (Click for larger image)