American Gangster Poster

 
American Gangster, a true story directed by Ridley Scott was recently released on DVD. We wanted to see if American Gangster cut the mustard when compared to legendary gangster films like The Godfather, Casino and Goodfellas.

I absolutely love gangster films and would say that The Godfather is my all time favorite. When I heard about American Gangster I couldn’t wait to see it. Unfortunately I either missed the cinema release or it just didn’t show on the Costa del Sol. It was recently released on DVD and I grabbed a copy as soon as I could.

American Gangster is based on the true story of a notorious African American New York drug dealer and entrepreneur in the 1970’s. It follows the rise and ultimate fall of a very calculated and intelligent underworld businessman who took the mafia on at their own game.

The film is directed by Ridley Scott who gave us the multi oscar winner Gladiator also starring Russell Crowe. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe give great performances as would be expected of actors of their calibur. The film is well made but was a little bit disappointing as it does drag on towards the end.  Whilst Ridley Scott is an excellent director this gangster film doesn’t quite match the works of Scorsese.

Verdict: Worth watching, excellent performances but drags a bit towards the end.