Ridley Scott, 2007 (7*)
American Gangster is an ambitious organized crime 'epic' based on a true story. Denzel Washington, in a non-demanding role, stars as a man who has moved far up from his roots in North Carolina to become a major wholesale drug dealer in the New York area. The film is very professional and well put together, but is perhaps a little too long, and lacks the passion or intensity of Goodfellas, or even other Ridley Scott films like Aliens and Thelma & Louise. Veteran actress Ruby Dee (Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee) stands out as Denzel's mother, Russell Crowe is adequate but generally wasted as a narcotics detective. Still a worthy entry into the organized crime genre.