American Gangster

Exclusive DVD extra: "The Friendship"

Ridley Scott's sprawling crime drama tackles the rise and fall of Frank Lucas, the real-life Harlem crime boss who transformed the heroin trade in the 1970s, and the work of Detective Richie Roberts and his antidrug task force to shut down his operation. Denzel Washington plays Lucas as a cagey, careful businessman building his empire with quiet ruthlessness, while Russell Crowe is working-class, street-smart Roberts, trying to do honest work in a corrupt department. Scott's epic treatment is well crafted but lacks the drama of the modern crime classics his film evokes. Ruby Dee earned an Oscar nomination for playing Lucas' mother, and Josh Brolin, Cuba Gooding Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Armand Assante and Carla Gugino co-star. The two-disc edition features both the original theatrical version (with articulate commentary by Scott and writer Steven Zaillian) and an unrated extended version with 18 minutes of additional footage, as well as documentaries, deleted scenes and additional featurettes. The three-disc collector's edition includes additional featurettes, bonus music videos, a 32-page collectible book, and a downloadable digital copy of the unrated, extended film. Also available in HD DVD format, and in the "Gangsters: The Ultimate Film Collection" box set.