Not Approved

American Gangster

Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (Oscar® winner Denzel Washington), the quiet driver to one of the inner city's leading black crime bosses. But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the American Dream. Through ingenuity and a strict business ethic, he comes to rule the inner-city drug trade, flooding the streets with a purer product at a better price. Lucas outplays all of the leading crime syndicates and becomes not only one of the city's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of legit civic superstars.

Richie Roberts (Oscar® winner Russell Crowe) is an outcast cop close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Roberts believes someone is climbing the rungs above the known Mafia families and starts to suspect that a black power player has come from nowhere to dominate the scene. Both Lucas and Roberts share a rigorous ethical code that sets them apart from their own colleagues, making them lone figures on opposite sides of the law. The destinies of these two men will become intertwined as they approach a confrontation where only one of them can come out on top.
27
Negative Rating
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SexLanguageViolenceDrugsNudityOther
0
Positive Rating
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FaithIntegrity

Dove Review

OK. I knew the movie wasn’t titled “Pollyanna”, but still, “American Gangster” has so much strong language, violence and blood, nudity and sex outside of marriage, that it is just way over the top. The film is saturated with drug use, revenge and unrestrained pleasure. The scenes which bring the film to its conclusion are some of the best as they include the only scenes of Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe acting together, and there is no question that these are talented actors who chewed up the scenery in the ending of this movie.

Still, seeing the bloody arms of drug users, and people shot in the face, as well as hearing the racial slurs, left me leaving the theater disappointed at just how far some films these days are daring to go. The screenwriters must be at a loss at coming up with dialog so they just stick the F word in the scenes about every five to ten seconds. How sad. And what a lack of imagination. If there is any redeeming message in this film, I suppose it is that crime doesn’t pay. This film cannot be awarded our Dove Seal as a family-friendly film.

Dove Rating Details

0
Faith

None

0
Integrity

Several people are shot; people shot in the head and face; a person is set on fire; several scenes which show blood; a woman is slapped; several violent scenes and corpses are seen on screen.

4
Sex

Implied adultery with a character in several scenes with different partners and a scene in which a character has sex on screen although the woman is wearing a dress; prostitute on the corner; exotic dancers being pawed by men.

5
Language

Too many profanities of every kind to keep count, including several of the Lord's name taken in vain; and a few racial slurs as well; continual use of strong language.

5
Violence

Several people are shot; people shot in the head and face; a person is set on fire; several scenes which show blood; a woman is slapped; several violent scenes and corpses are seen on screen.

5
Drugs

Drug use including shooting up; graphic scenes of needles being used causing bloody arms; drug overdoses; drug trafficking; death as a result of drug use; drinking and smoking.

5
Nudity

Full frontal and rear female nudity; several scenes of women's breasts and women packaging drugs in the nude; exotic dancers wearing very little.

3
Other

Revenge of a drug and crime lord; a character lies to his mother; a man commits suicide by shooting himself in the head.

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