DVD
REVIEW: AMERICAN GANGSTER
(2-disc Unrated Edition)
02/15/08
Talk about the
American Dream! Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) not only
believed it, reached and surpassed it. The problem is that
he did it while working on the wrong side of the law.
From 1969 to 1973 Frank rose from the position of apprentice
to Bumpy Johnson, a respected Harlem King Pin, to the most
powerful Mob Boss of his time. Whereas Bumpy was rich, Frank
became wealthy. To Frank the difference between the two is
simple, cut out the middle man, create a brand name and
never, ever call attention to yourself. Of course this is no
simple task when you take into consideration the lengths and
risks Frank took to create his empire, the excess which he
enjoyed in his personal life and the number of Mafiosi he
pissed off while climbing to the top. Frank was smart,
ballsy and always took care of his own. Unfortunately, they
say the higher the climb, the bigger the fall.
Now on the right side of the law stands Richie Roberts
(Russell Crowe). Richie is a New Jersey Cop who’s infamous
for turning in one million dollars in unmarked bills. Money
no one would have been able to trace, at a time when an
honest Cop was harder to find than a non-smoker at an AA
meeting. Having done so, he and his partner Javier Rivera
(John Ortiz) become pariahs on the force. During this time
in “purgatory” Richie studies law and miraculously passes
the bar, destroys what’s left of his marriage and loses his
partner. The death of Javier catapults Richie into the
largest drug and policy corruption investigation in New York
history. This is where Frank and Ritchie’s worlds collide.
The roster of actors in this film is impressive from Misters
Washington and Crowe, Rapper Common as one of Frank’s
brothers, Cuba Gooding Jr. as a flashy drug dealer to Armand
Assante as the classic powerful Italian Don. I was pleased
with the way the film’s scenery runs the gamut from Queens,
NY, Fort Bragg, NC to Hoa Binh, Vietnam. Director Ridley
Scott must be given credit for taking us through so much. He
manages to shock us with explicit violence, taking us
through the oxy-moric beauty of the Vietnamese opium fields
and suffocates us with the oppressive stench of a cocaine
cook house in the middle of the projects.
The movie left me feeling that there was a great attempt to
tell an incredible true story while using great talent but
that after much effort it falls short in the telling. There
is so much to the story that the 2 plus hours don’t seem to
be enough and the conclusion of the tale feels as if it was
compressed to fit.
Review By Priscilla
priscilla@smartcine.com
Universal Home
Entertainment has done it again with this 2 disc unrated
edition. This DVD not only has an excellent price, but
it contains tons of special features that make it worth
every single penny. The DVD audio and video are
exceptional. This DVD is what every single DVD should
be, good price and worth watching with special features.
One of the things that I like about this DVD version, is
the fact that instead of giving you twenty separated
deleted scenes. All those scenes were added into an
unrated extended version of the film including an
alternate ending. This version adds more information
about this great story, which is what I was hoping to
see in a DVD. This DVD is a most have in any DVD
collection.
VIDEO:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English,
Spanish and French
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English Spanish French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
DISC
1
Unrated Extended Version – 18 additional minutes of
never-before-seen footage and an alternate ending
Original Theatrical Version Including Commentary
with Director Ridley Scott and Writer Steven Zaillian
DISC 2
Deleted Scenes-
Including an alternate opening (3:46)
Fallen Empire: Making American Gangster
Tru Blu: The Real Story:
An in-depth look at the true story that
inspired the movie and the long road to developing the
film. Featuring interviews with the former real-life
Harlem crime boss Frank Lucas and now retired detective
Richie Roberts
(21:21)
Killer Threads: A look at how
the world of the 1970’s was brought back to life
(11:18)
Crime War: Follow production
from the streets of NY to the jungles of Thailand (20:55)
Rhythm of the Streets: Look into
the film’s music, featuring tracks such as “Do You Feel
Me” performed by Anthony Hamilton
(15:53)
Into the Arena: Ali vs. Frazier:
Setting up the infamous Ali-Frazier fight
(8:52)
Case Files
Setting Up the Takedown- Be on
the set as Ridley Scott directs the climactic drug bust
and watch this master director at work
(7:46)
Script Meeting: A look into the
production office where director Ridley Scott, writer
Steven Zaillian, and detective Richie Roberts discuss the
script and break down of the scenes.
(8:14)
Drug Test: Ridley Scott receives
information on the preparation of heroin from a New York
detective
(8:58)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
| FILM REVIEW |
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VIDEO |
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AUDIO |
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| BONUS
FEATURES |
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