3. American Gangster (2007)
Scott’s sweeping exploration of the American Dream comes to life in American Gangster, embodied in the story of Frank Lucas, the infamous Harlem gangster who built a heroin empire during the Vietnam War—allegedly smuggling the drug into the U.S. via caskets carrying dead servicemen. Denzel Washington commands the screen as Lucas, delivering a performance of chilling ruthlessness and emotional reserve. Russell Crowe reunites with Scott to play the determined cop relentlessly pursuing Lucas’s criminal enterprise.
Nearly flawless from start to finish, American Gangster transcends its generic title to become perhaps one of the greatest films about gangsters and dreamers, capital and power, and the opportunities within corruption since The Godfather and Goodfellas. How good is it? Good enough to inspire Jay-Z to record one of his finest albums.
