DVD - American Gangster (18)

10:58am Thursday 20th March 2008

RUSSELL Crowe stars as Det Richie Roberts, a no-nonsense cop who is facing an uphill battle against a drugs baron who is smuggling heroin into 1970s America straight from its source in the Far East.

Denzel Washington plays the drugs kingpin, Frank Lucas, but rather than portraying him as a violence obsessed black criminal who started his drugs empire to get off the mean streets of the ghetto, Washington's gangster is instead a very suave, sophisticated and articulate individual.

Although this film has some great action in it, it has come in for some criticism because there are not enough bloody battles and shoot-em-ups.

What utter rubbish! Director Ridley Scott has admirably not gone in for an abundance of gratuitous violence to satisfy people's lust for death scenes in gangster films.

This film instead contains a slightly less than normal number of brilliantly executed shooting/violent scenes which feel gritty and realistic.

This was a thoroughly entertaining film with excellent acting throughout.

HC

EDITOR'S CHOICE