American Gangster is a great movie. The story is excellent and very well paced. I usually complain about long movies, but not this one. Coming in at a whooping 157 minutes, its over two and a half hours long, but the movie puts every bit of that to good use.

American Gangster is a movie based on the life of Frank Lucas, a drug lord in Harlem, New York during the 1960s and 1970s. Frank, played by Denzel Washington, worked as a driver for Bumpy Johnson, a drug dealer in New York. After Bumpy dies, Frank takes over. Slowly but surely, Frank Lucas owns Harlem.

The other main character in the story is Richie Roberts, a New York Police Department detective. Roberts, played by Russell Crowe, is called upon to head up a special drug and narcotics division. That can only lead to a confrontation between Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts.

This movie is epic, suspenseful and dramatic. The plot runs deep and tickles the intellectual parts of your brain, but never enough to confuse dumb-witted viewers.

Score: A