American Gangster [Blu-ray] [Unrated]

Director: Ridley Scott, Brian Grazer

Overview

Director Ridley Scott spins this yarn concerning a Harlem drug kingpin (Denzel Washington) who smuggles heroin into the country by hiding it in the bodies of U.S. soldiers killed during battle in Vietnam. As honest NYPD detective Ritchie Roberts (Russell Crowe) investigates the case, his integrity is compromised by the meddling of the crooked Detective Trupo (Josh Brolin).

Product Details

Release Date:	10/14/2008
UPC:	0025195045681
Original Release:	2007
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	5:35:00
Sales rank:	23,924

Special Features

Feature commentary with director Ridley Scott and writer Steven Zaillian; Deleted scenes including an alternate opening; Fallen Empire: Making American Gangster; Case files; Hip-Hop Infusion, Featuring Common and T.I.; The BET Special: The Making of American Gangster; Dateline NBC: American Gangster First Look; Music videos

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Denzel Washington	Frank Lucas
Russell Crowe	Detektyw Richie Roberts
Josh Brolin	Detektyw Trupo
Chiwetel Ejiofor	Huey Lucas
Lymari Nadal	Eva
Ruby Dee	Mama Lucas
Ted Levine	Lou Toback
Roger Guenveur Smith	Nate
John Hawkes	Freddie Spearman
RZA	Moses Jones,Composer
Yul Vazquez	Alfonse Abruzzo
Malcolm Goodwin	Jimmy Zee
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Doc
Carla Gugino	Laurie Roberts
John Ortiz	Javier J. Rivera
Cuba Gooding Jr.	Nicky Barnes
Armand Assante	Dominic Cattano
Kathleen Garrett	?ona Dominica Cattano
Joe Morton	Charlie Williams
Ritchie Coster	Joey Sadano
Bari K. Willerford	Joe Louis
Idris Elba	Tango
Common	Turner Lucas
Jon Polito	Rossi
Skyler Fortgang	Michael Roberts
Warner Miller	Melvin Lucas
Albert Jones	Terrence Lucas
J. Kyle Manzay	Dexter Lucas
T.I.	Stevie Lucas
Quisha Saunders	Darlynn
Robert Funaro	McCann
Robert C. Kirk	Police Captain
Tom Stearns	2-Star General
KaDee Strickland	Richie's Attorney
Jon DeVries	Judge James Racine
Jim R. Coleman	Bailiff
Lee Shepard	Laurie's Attorney
English	Voices
Avy Kaufman	Actor
Clarence Williams III	Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson
Kevin Corrigan	Campizi
Ric Young	Chinese General
Roger Bart	U.S. Attorney
Norman Reedus	Detective in Morgue
Hamilton Clancy	Seller
Marc Streitenfeld	Composer

Technical Credits

Steven Zaillian

Steven Zaillian	Screenwriter,Executive Producer
Ridley Scott	Producer
Brian Grazer	Producer
Michael Costigan	Executive Producer,Producer
Branko Lustig	Executive Producer,Producer
Nicholas Pileggi	Executive Producer,Producer
Jim Whitaker	Executive Producer,Producer
Sarah Bowen	Producer
Jonathan Filley	Producer
John Cairns	Special Effects
Christopher Assells	Sound Effects
Karen Baker Landers	Sound Effects
Bob Beemer	Sound Effects
Rick Canelli	Sound Effects
Jim Caruana	Sound Effects
Bill Anagnos	Stunts
Phillip Beck	Special Effects
G.A. Aguilar	Stunts
Edward Drohan IV	Special Effects
Kevin Zack	Special Effects
Doug Facciponti	Special Effects
Roy T. Anderson	Stunts
Bobby Beckles	Stunts
Jill Brown	Stunts
Jared Burke	Stunts
Nicole Callender	Stunts
Chris Cenatiempo	Stunts,Stunts
Bob Colletti	Stunts
Blaise Corrigan	Stunts
Cris D'Annunzio	Stunts
Peter Epstein	Stunts
Jason Garcia	Stunts
Jeffrey Lee Gibson	Stunts
Eddie Goines	Stunts
Hollis Hill	Stunts
David S. Lomax	Stunts
Jalil Jay Lynch	Stunts
Avy Kaufman	Casting
Karen Kehela	Executive Producer
William Sarokin	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The difference between early Ridley Scott, like The Duellists and Alien and late-period Ridley Scott, like Black Rain and Hannibal, is the difference between "stylish" and "slick." In the former, the look of a film -- the photography, the art direction, the costuming -- is as much the subject of the film as whatever the story happens to be. In the latter, all the emphasis on surface things only underscores the fact that there is nothing going on at the heart of the films. American Gangster is a welcome return to the "stylish" Ridley Scott. Unlike Matchstick Men or Black Hawk Down, American Gangster feels like an impersonal work for the director, and in this case that is a very good thing. Scott allows his remarkably gifted collaborators -- cinematographer Harris Savides, editor Pietro Scalia, and screenwriter Steven Zaillian -- to do what they do best and simply uses his own skills to keep everything moving along in a solid, professional way. Though they are kept apart for the vast majority of the film's 160-minute running time, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe carry their respective sections of the flick with movie-star ease. As larger-than-life criminal mastermind Frank Lucas, Washington gets to utilize his formidable charm while only once falling into the overacting that afflicts him on occasion when playing outright bad guys. As the ethically pure cop out to bring Frank down, Crowe offers his nearly patented brand of brooding physicality. There is nothing new about these characters, or in the film as a whole, but the solidly structured story draws parallels between the two men -- playing up the old "bad guy isn't so bad" and the "good guy isn't so good" themes that might seem incredibly tired in the hands of lesser actors and filmmakers. An end-of-film decision by Frank softens the film a great deal; this is, after all, Hollywood product, and it would be unacceptable to not like both the leads, but seeing as nothing that has come before indicates anyone was aiming for art, this twist can be forgiven. American Gangster is nothing more or less than product, sure to satisfy those who need a genre fix.