Movie Review- AMERICAN GANGSTER
HEADLINE: ** Crime and Corruption Do Not Pay **TITLE: AMERICAN GANGSTER
Quality: * * * Acceptability: -2
SUBTITLES: -- Several English subtitles --
WARNING CODES:
Language: LLL
Violence: VVV
Sex: SS
Nudity: NN
RATING: R
RELEASE: November 2, 2007
TIME: 157 minutes
STARRING: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Ted Levine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ruby Dee, Lymari Nadal, Josh Brolin, Carla Gugino, Cuba Gooding, Hr., Armand Assante, John Ortiz, John Hawkes, RZA, and Clarence Williams III
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott
PRODUCERS: Brian Grazer and Ridley Scott
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Nicholas Pileggi, Steven Zaillian, Branko Lustig, Jim Whitaker, and Michael Costigan
WRITER: Steven Zaillian
BASED ON AN ARTICLE BY: Mark Jacobson ("The Return of Superfly")
DISTRIBUTOR: University Pictures/General Electric
CONTENT: (BB, CC, LLL, VVV, SS, NN, A, DD, MM) Strong moral worldview with strong overt Christian elements about a ruthless drug lord and the incorruptible policeman seeking to put him behind bars; at least 98 mostly strong obscenities and six strong profanities (all GDs); sometimes very strong somewhat graphic violence with some blood and other violence includes man in chair set on fire and then shot at least twice, other pointblank shootings and murders, a couple gunfights, man beats brother for making mistake, pools of blood form under two or more victims, and threats of violence; one scene of depicted fornication, it is suggested that a policeman is somewhat of a playboy, some suggestive dancing, and implied prostitution; many quick shots of upper and rear female nudity in places where women help make heroin but are forced to work naked to make sure they don't steal anything, and implied total female nudity; alcohol use; smoking, heroin junkies shown shooting up several times and gangsters sell heroin but all this is mostly rebuked; and, graft, corruption, attempted bribery, and gangsters are rebuked, and honest policeman is rebuked for his promiscuous lifestyle and told you can go to Hell for that too but he acknowledges the rebuke and rest of movie hints he may have taken the criticism to heart and changed his ways.
GENRE: Crime Thriller
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Adults
Please address your comments to:
Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman/CEO, General Electric
Jeff Zucker, President/CEO, NBC Universal Entertainment
Ron Meyer, President/COO, Universal Studios
Marc Shmuger, Chairman
David Linde, Co-Chairman
Universal Pictures
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608-1085
Phone: (818) 777-1000
Web Page: www.universalstudios.com
SUMMARY: AMERICAN GANGSTER stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in a thriller that tells a story about two men: a ruthless African American drug lord and the incorruptible narcotics policeman who wants to put him behind bars. AMERICAN GANGSTER is a captivating movie that has a strong moral worldview with some strong Christian content, but MOVIEGUIDEŽ advises strong extreme caution for AMERICAN GANGSTER due to lots of strong foul language, some graphic violence, explicit nudity, and a depicted sex scene.
IN BRIEF:
AMERICAN GANGSTER tells a story about two men: a ruthless African American drug lord and the incorruptible narcotics cop who wants to put him behind bars. It opens in 1968 in New York City. Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, sets up an operation in Harlem selling a more pure, cheaper form of heroin than the Italian Mafia. Meanwhile, Richie Roberts, an incorruptible Newark, New Jersey detective played by Russell Crowe, is going to law school at night and working during the day. When President Nixon announces his anti-drug policies, Richie is recognized for his integrity and charged with running Newark's new special narcotics team. Richie eventually targets Frank, who has become so big that the Mafia works for him instead of the other way around.
MOVIEGUIDEŽ advises strong extreme caution for AMERICAN GANGSTER due to lots of strong foul language, some graphic violence, explicit nudity, and a depicted sex scene. The movie mostly sides, however, with the honest narcotics detective played by Russell Crowe, so it has a strong moral worldview throughout. There is also some strong, positive Christian content at the end that lifts the movie above other similar thrillers.
