Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 156 mins (theatrical) 176 mins (extended version) – 2007 – R Rated and Unrated – 1080p Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1

NOTE: Portions of this review are from the HD-DVD version and have been updated for the Blu-ray.

Movies about gangsters have always attracted audiences, starting with classics starring Cagney and Bogart like The Public Enemy and Angels With Dirty Faces, to modern day movies like Scarface and Goodfellas. Moviegoers love stories about men who break the rules of the law to gain power. Being an HD DVD exclusive, American Gangster is now finally available on Blu-ray from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

THE MOVIE

American Gangster has everything going for it, starting with the triple threat force of Oscar winning actors Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe and director Ridley Scott. The movie is based on the true accounts of Frank Lucas (Washington), a violent criminal who ran the drug trade in the New York ghetto of Harlem during the late 70’s, until his reign of power comes to an end by a determined cop, Richie Roberts (Crowe).

Within this movie there are multiple stories going on; the main being how a small time hood, Lucas, executes a plan to become the biggest drug dealer in Harlem through a pure form of heroin called Blue Magic that he transports from Bangkok to flood the streets of New York. Then there’s the story of Richie Roberts, who is dealing with a bitter divorce, staying afloat as the only honest cop on the force, and trying to figure out who is the source of Blue Magic. Intertwined in this are also a story of police corruption, and the fall of Harlem in the 70’s.

The reason this all flows so smoothly is because of a tight script by Steven Zaillian, strong direction by Scott, and not only Washington and Crowe, but a brilliant supporting cast featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Ortiz, RZA, and Josh Brolin, who is proving why he is fast becoming one of best actors in Hollywood. And it also should be noted that New York City itself plays an important role in the film as it’s unique style is highlighted from the late 60’s into the mid 70’s, complete with Cadillacs, bell bottoms, Afros, and lots of polyester.

Obviously in crime related films based on true events such as Goodfellas, and now American Gangster, where most of the people being portrayed are still alive, there are many aspects of this that will still never know the actual facts like how during a time of war, a civilian could make so many successful trips back and forth to Vietnam. Yes, this happened, and in the audio commentary Scott explains that Lucas bribed a lot of people to do it; but just this alone can be the setting of another movie entirely.

The biggest complaint I have is Universal Picture’s decision to have both the theatrical version and the extended cut (which is 18 minutes longer) on the disc, but why is the extended version only presented in standard definition? Since there really aren’t many extras included on the disc there is definitely enough room to present both version in full high definition. Being that I enjoyed this film so much, I found this to be very disappointing. What were they thinking?

Anyone who loves gangster films will no doubt enjoy American Gangster, because it has all the elements that we all love to see in crime sagas. It may not be as fine tuned as Goodfellas, but it is a solid movie that will still be watched and highlighted a decade from now.

VIDEO

The biggest plus for the Blu-ray version is that both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film are in high-definition, whereas the original HD-DVD offered the extended cut in standard definition. So the wait was worth it for Blu-ray owners. Both the theatrical and extended cut is presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It’s a good transfer with rich colors and solid blacks that stand out. It’s not high-def show off material, but the details much more sharper than the standard DVD. Ridley Scott’s films are always photographed with style, and Gangster is no exception, capturing the tone of New York in the 70’s perfectly.

AUDIO

The sound for the Blu-ray has been upgraded from a Dolby Digital track to a DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 mix. Overall, the film’s sound mix is good, with clear dialogue and even ambiance. But the true highlight is the movie’s soundtrack that features some great songs from the 70’s. Gangster’s sound won’t give your speakers a workout, but it does the job.

EXTRAS

More bonus features have been added to the Blu-ray version compared to the HD-DVD, so again it’s a home run for the blue team over the red.

There’s an audio commentary by director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steve Zaillian, which is pretty informative. Going into how there was so much material about Lucas that it was difficult to decide what to focus on. Scott and Zaillian seem to have had a good working relationship on this project, so their commentary works because they’re not talking over each other. Because of the length of this film, there are times when the commentary drags, but overall it is informative. (Note: The audio commentary is only featured on the theatrical version, not the extended cut).

‘Fallen Empire: Making American Gangster’ is also an addition that wasn’t on the HD-DVD. It’s in standard definition and runs eighty minutes, covering everything about the production, from getting the bio-pic started, casting Richie Roberts and Frank Lucas, getting Ridley Scott on board, and reviving the 70’s. This is a must see for anyone who enjoyed this movie, or just has an interest in what goes into making a film like this. Interviews from the cast and crew, as well as plenty of behind the scenes footage makes for one the best making of docs out there.

Seven deleted scenes running 12 minutes are presented in standard definition, but offer no audio commentary to explain why they were removed. But none of these scenes add anything new to the actual film. And none of these scenes are in the extended cut, so can you imagine how long the original version of this film must have been.

‘Dateline NBC: American Gangster First Look’ and ‘BET Special: Making American Gangster’ are two promotional TV specials that aired during the theatrical release for the movie. This is just fluff, skip it and just watch the Fallen Empire documentary; it’s more rewarding.

Uncovering The Past: The Real Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts, is a barely five minutes long behind the scenes featurette with interviews with the cast, filmmakers, and the real Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. There’s nothing going on here, and if you blink it will be over.

Two music videos, “Blue Magic” by Jay-Z and “Do You Feel Me” by Anthony Hamilton has also been tossed into the Blu-ray version.

American Gangster offers the U-Control feature allowing a picture-in-picture pop up to occur when enabled. You can get a look at some of the on set action that went into shooting certain scenes, but most of it is stuff carried over from the Fallen Empire doc.

Of course the extended version of the film is also a bonus, which offers 18 minutes of addition scenes. Most of the scenes are just extended dialogue exchanges, but the one true highlight is the alternate ending, which not to give anything away is worth a look.

BOTTOM LINE

Blue wins because this version of American Gangster blows the HD-DVD version out of the water, with two versions of the film and more bonus features all on one disc. Even if you already have the HD-DVD, this is worth the upgrade. American Gangster is a good movie with excellent performances from Washington and Crowe. If you like films like Scarface and Goodfellas, you’re sure to enjoy Gangster. Pick this one up.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 3.5

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 4.0