Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Admirable film.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Apart from Denzel Washington all actors are as bad as it could get. I have never seen such a bad cast.

The best: Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and the luxury secondary do it magnificently, none of them out of tune, much of this merit has the costumes and hairdressing. THE, yes in uppercase. The third act changes the rhythm of the film and creates a dynamism that helps the final sprint in a film that can be accused of lack of rhythm in the early stages. The final interrogation between the protagonists is the best possible closure. The worst: The first two acts are excessively slow and in some tedious moments, personal mark of Ridley Scott.

One of the things I love most about Ridley Scott is his willingness to try everything, he's tried his hand at almost every genre in his career and while it's hasn't always workout for him I always admire the effort. But I don't just have to admire the effort here because I loved this movie, it's one of Ridley Scott's best and one of the greatest movies of 2007. A large part of that is due to its two central characters. I loved the character of Frank Lucas in this film he was so captivating I loved seeing his arc and business acumen and is by far one of Denzel Washingtons best and most complex performances. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott are great together I loved Crowes character because again he was a complex one I loved seeing him want more than what he had and I loved the scenes between these two characters. The world of Harlem in this movie just sucks you right in you immediately see what kind of place this is and see what's been done to it by people like Lucas. Another thing I loved about this movie was the fact that everything had consequences, we see with our own eyes the fallout of Lucas' dealings and make him a more well rounded character. I think this movie has some of the best uses of violence in a movie because it's used to enhance the story, the extra blood or close ups of drug ridden dead bodies sucks us into the atmosphere more. I also really liked Josh Brolin in this movie I thought his character added something to this movie his story arc of being a corrupt police officer paralleled very nicely with Crowes head strong, good-cop arc and added to the bleak atmosphere Scott was trying to create. other characters I loved seeing were Lucas' brother it set up a nice dynamic between them, it's was good to see them get sucked into this world and I thought it added to Washingtons character to see him slowly isolate everyone he loves and creates for some really disturbing sequences. If I have one flaw with this movie it would be that it's definitely similar in terms of style and tone to other Gangster flicks but if it works for what To filmmakers are trying to accomplish and it does just that then I'm fine with that for the most part but the only area I thought this didn't quite work for was the love story I just didn't think it added anything to this film and I didn't really buy the chemistry between the two. This is a fast paced, entertaining and long lasting crime thriller, it's one of Scott's best movies with great performances, very good character dynamics and arcs. It's definitely similar to other movies of this genre but it doesn't hold this movie back from its greatness. 91%/A

Director Ridley Scott's Output is Inconsistent. He has made some Great Award Winning Films and a Substantial Number that are Not.The Gangster Genre has its Modern Era Royalty..."The Godfathers" (1972-90)..."Scarface" (1983)..."Goodfellas" (1990)..."Donnie Brasco" (1997)... etc. and the Director Knocks on the Castle Door with this Epic, but some say that He was Denied Entry.The Film is Rich with 1970's Culture, has Two Powerhouse Leads (Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe), a Budget to Kill for ($100 million), a Fine and Respected Screen Writer (Steven Zaillian), and a Sprawl of Characters and Locations. It Looks Great, has an Enormous Running Time (157/176 min), and Gangster Culture is almost Always Box-Office Booty when done on this Level.It's a Good Movie, with its Attention to Detail Rewarding, the Big Cast List is Populated with A-List Character Actors, and the Story is True Life Legend. Professional comes to Mind when the Movie Unreels. But it somehow lacks the Spark of the New that the Kings of the Genre have in Common.While it Fails to Ignite, it does Blow By some of its more Mediocre Contemporaries. However, the Film is too Conventional in a Category that is so Common, so Ingrained in American Culture, it takes more than just Professionalism to make it Rise to the Top."American Gangster" is Not one of the Director's Least Inspired Projects, it's Better than quite a few of His Recent Films. There is much to See here and while it didn't make it into the "Gangster Court" of the Truly Greats of the Genre, it's No "Fugazi" Either.