Posts Tagged ‘american gangster’

American Gangster, the well-received cop/gangster movie starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, is now out on DVD. The movie is pretty good, though I’d say it’s a bit overrated. The pacing could have been a little better, and American Gangster definitely doesn’t compare to any Scorcese gangster flick (and it has been compared to those films). Still, American Gangster is a pretty good film with two really great actors squaring off against one another, and so if you haven’t seen it, you definitely need to check it out.

You can read my full American Gangster movie review here.

I just watched the bonus features on the 2-disc unrated extended edition DVD of American Gangster, and its value will largely depend on what you value as extra features. The DVD set comes with both the theatrical version and an unrated extended version which includes an extra 18 minutes. Considering that the regular American Gangster was long enough, I can’t say that an extended version is an improvement. Still, it’s great that Universal includes both versions in the release.

As for the bonus features, there are a couple of relatively uninteresting deleted scenes, including an alternate opening. Things get better when you move onto the making-of featurette, an over-hour-long look at several aspects from the film, including the elaborate Frazier v. Ali fight. There are segments that aren’t that interesting, but other segments are quite the opposite. What I liked most were the interviews with the real Frank Lucas, who speaks pretty candidly about his experiences. I would have liked to see a full featurette on the real Frank Lucas, however, or a feature commentary with Lucas and the real Richie Roberts.

The only other bonus feature on the disc is a collection of “case files”, which are some behind-the-scene looks at how the filmmakers prepared for the movie. It’s was fun to see Ridley Scott discussing minute details with the real Roberts, and also meeting with police officers to find out the best and most realistic way to show drug tests.

Overall, there’s really not much here, but there are some very nice nuggets to feast your eyes on. If you’re thinking of purchasing American Gangster, you should buy this 2-disc version, since you get two separate versions of the film and some unique insights into the making of the production.

I actually watched American Gangster over a week ago, but due to mitigating circumstances (changing day jobs, trying to get a date with this one young woman, traveling to Florida for a weekend and so on and so forth), I forgot about (a.k.a. put off) writing a movie review for the picture.

Interestingly enough, I had just watched Mr. Untouchable, a documentary that interviews Nicky Barnes, one of the drug kingpins depicted in the picture (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.). American Gangster isn’t about Nicky Barnes, but it is about another drug kingpin who gained tremendous power a few decades ago but who thanks to a dedicated cop finally had his empire destroyed. American Gangster is about two men, the cop (Russell Crowe) and the gangster (Denzel Washington), who square off, even though they rarely share a scene together or even know the other one exists.

Director Ridley Scott has once delivered a solid picture, and some critics are suggesting early Oscar buzz. While I would say that there have been better movies this year, American Gangster has the stars, the dazzle and the box office success to be a serious contender. Hear what I have to say by reading my full American Gangster movie review.