Good review Justin. I think I will have to agree on most points. I went to see this with a firend of mine, and even she got bored by the mass of clichees, and the whole "pimped-up" operation. As usual, Hollywood wnats it "Super Size". Sometimes this was an uninspired rehash of MTV music clips, while at its worse a lame imitation of dozens of gangster flics which have come before. All in all I must say American Gangster seemed like a good hollywood film, although given Ridley Scotts bloated reputation, an expected disappointment. But I would have thought it to be at least a bit more inspired. When I went in, I had completely forgotten that one of the best cameramen working today had lensed the film. During the screening I kept saying, that I was at least enjoying a sexy Denzel Washington (and to a lesser degree Russel Crowe), and the camera (and especially the lighting) was usually above average. It just seemed that Scott often didnt really know how to put it in use. When I read "Harris Savides" at the end credits, I was a bit surprised, as he is certainly capable of much more. When the least appealing thing in a movie is its direction, you know you have to worry.