American Gangster
Cinema legend Ridley Scott has directed several iconic film masterpieces. See how IMDb users rank all of his feature films as director.,Not only did the real Richie Roberts serve as Frank Lucas's lawyer after he went into private practice, he was godfather to Lucas's son.,In 1968, when Frank prepares to call his cousin in Bangkok for the first time, an Internet URL is clearly visible on a billboard across the street.,Frank Lucas: The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.,At the end of the closing credits, Frank Lucas approaches the camera and fires one shot from a pistol directly at the audience.,The 175 min.-unrated extended version includes approx. 19 minutes of additional footage not seen in the theatrical release. Among the highlights are:
A flashback with Frank Lucas and Bumpy Johnson on a boardwalk
A short scene showing Richie Roberts acquiring office space for his new narcotics task force (this added scene follows immediately after Toback assigns Roberts to head up the federal investigation using honest cops of Roberts' choice),Featured in HBO First Look: The Making of 'American Gangster' (2007),Why Don't We Do It in the Road
Written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Published by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC
Performed by Lowell Fulson
Courtesy of Jewel-Paula Recording
By arrangement with Fuel 2000 Records Inc.,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.,Two-time Oscar winner and Hollywood icon Denzel Washington has over 60 acting credits spanning six decades. Find out which of his movies IMDb users rate highest.,