Ridley Scott is always a director to watch. This proposition includes watching for things to avoid, especially when he goes for history and costume, as in 1492 and The Kingdom of Heaven. But there were also The Duellists and Thelma and Louise; and Blade Runner, it seems, is always showing up in a new version. A 'final cut', following on the studio cut and the director's cut, is just out. Still, that film was made in 1982, and Scott's most successful works since then, on any terms, have been Gladiator (2000) and Black Hawk Down (2001). Until now, that is. It's a pleasure to report that American Gangster is a stylish and intelligent contribution to the genre evoked by the title, a little overhaunted by past masterpieces and in the end perhaps dwarfed by them, but gripping and troubling all the way through.

LRB 13 December 2007 | PDF Download