Netflix have added a ‘brutal’ Denzel Washington gangster thriller fan which some are calling his most underrated movie.
The film was only just recently added to Netflix and has already shot up to number four in the charts.
Starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, there is no doubt that this is an underrated classic.
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Upon release, it received fantastic reviews, with an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and average of 7.8 on IMDB, some fans however still feel it isn’t given the flowers it is due.
Check out the trailer and see for yourself what fans are so excited about.
The movie in question is called American Gangster, and it is directed by none other than the legend Ridley Scott.
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It's one of Scott’s lesser known films, you can’t help but look at the upcoming Gladiator 2 and wonder if Scott saw Washington and Russell Crowe stood together and went ‘you know what….’
The film came out in 2007 and has a crazy cast even beyond the two big names.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Idris Elba, RZA, Carla Gugino, Cuba Gooding Jr, and Ruby Dee, the cast is top to bottom stacked.
Nominated for two Oscars, the film isn’t exactly a hidden gem of sorts, but when Denzel’s greatest roles are brought up, this often is not in the conversation.
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The late great critic Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect four out of four, but had high praise for another member of the cast rather than Denzel.
He said in his review: “This is an engrossing story, told smoothly and well, and Russell Crowe’s contribution is enormous (it’s not his fault his wife complains).
“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.
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“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.”
Another review, from David Stratton, said: “Best of all, there are top-flight performances from both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe who create interesting, rounded characters out of potential clichés.”
One thread on the subreddit r/movies debated his best roles, with one commenter pointing to American Gangster.
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They said “I somehow slept on American Gangster when it first dropped but finally caught it last year and it was damn good.”
Another said: “American Gangster - IMO the most badass Denzel has ever been”.
American Gangster is available to watch on Netflix in the US now.
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Denzel Washington
Michael Slavin