American Gangster is now free to stream, the film that ended Ridley Scott's six-year blockbuster drought
Who says Scott needs sci‑fi to deliver — this film proves otherwise, landing among his most successful and best outside the genre.
Ridley Scott isn’t exactly short on genre-hopping ability. Anyone who’s checked out everything from Alien to Thelma & Louise or Black Hawk Down knows the man’s made a career out of jumping between epic sci-fi, historic smash-ups, and pure drama. Yet, if you ask me, his finest straight-up crime drama—especially post-2000—is American Gangster. Might come as a surprise if you only associate him with xenomorphs and Romans, but there it is. Turns out, Scott can do New York’s seedy underbelly with the same panache as he brings to outer space or ancient arenas.
American Gangster pulled in $269.8 million at the box office—nearly triple its $100 million budget.
The Story: Kingpins, Cops, and Corruption
The film, released back in 2007, is based on the genuinely wild life of Frank Lucas—played here by Denzel Washington. Lucas managed to build his drug empire in the New York Tri-State area in the late '60s and '70s, claiming (not shyly) that he smuggled heroin straight from Asia in the most audacious ways imaginable. Not exactly your average street dealer, then.
On the other side of the law, you’ve got Russell Crowe as detective Richie Roberts. His character is obsessed with catching Lucas and, later, with dragging the city’s rotten police force into the light after Lucas flips to become an informant. It’s the sort of story that almost sounds made up, but actually comes from journalist Mark Jacobson's piece 'The Return of Superfly', which screenwriter Steven Zaillian (yes, Oscar-winner) used as his blueprint. Good source material tends to help, doesn’t it?
Crowe and Washington, Plus a Killer Cast
Between Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, you’d already have enough to carry a typical crime saga, but Scott stacks the cast with so many big names it almost borders on showing-off. You’ve got Josh Brolin, Armand Assante, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ted Levine, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ruby Dee—the list goes on. Dee herself got a Best Supporting Actress nod at the Oscars, one of only two nominations the film earned (the other, for Art Direction).
For all that ensemble, though, Crowe quietly runs away with this one. His Richie Roberts is, by some miracle, a good cop in a city absolutely crawling with bent ones. Crowe’s performance finds the internal grit in being honest when most of the NYPD is on the take. Honestly, the way he holds his own in scenes against Washington (never the easiest feat) is impressive in itself. If you’ve watched Gladiator or The Insider, you know the man can bring it—this might be one of his best turns since those Oscar runs.
Critics clocked onto that as well. Film reviewers were kind, with American Gangster pulling in an 81% critics' score and a whopping 91% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert—never a man to hand out fluffy praise—went all-in, particularly on Russell Crowe’s big finale: Here’s how Ebert put it in his four-star review—
This is an engrossing story, told smoothly and well, and Russell Crowe's contribution is enormous. Looking like a care-worn bulldog, his Richie Roberts studies for a law degree, remains inviolate in his ethical standards and just keeps plugging away, building his case. The film ends not with a Scarface-style shootout, but with Frank and Richie sitting down for a long, intelligent conversation, written by Zaillian to show two smart men who both know the score.
- American Gangster (2007, directed by Ridley Scott)
- Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas
- Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts
- Josh Brolin, Armand Assante, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ted Levine, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ruby Dee
- Written by Steven Zaillian (based on 'The Return of Superfly' by Mark Jacobson)
- Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Ruby Dee), Best Art Direction
Scott had a blockbuster on his hands—his first since Hannibal in 2001, if you’re counting—which is saying something for a gritty, dialogue-driven crime flick against that decade’s crowd of CGI bonanzas. American Gangster is streaming free right now if you fancy checking it out for yourself—no excuses left on that front.