MovieChat Forums > American Gangster (2007) Discussion > American Cheese

American Cheese

posted 7 years ago by Falconeer
3 replies | jump to latest

I wonder if there are other people out there who hate this phony, big budget Hollywood crap as much as I do. How can anyone accept Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe as anyone else besides; Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe? Modern Hollywood continues to churn out this generic crap, year after year, and people continue to eat it up. It is funny though, when Hollywood tries to be cutting edge, or shocking or disturbing, and comes up with such generic whitebread entertainment. Personally, if I want to see a gangster or crime film set in the 1970's, I will seek out a gangster/crime film that was...made in the 70's. That was when American cinema was still great, before all the Oscar politics overshadowed the actual product. Instead of wasting your time with this disposable tripe, why not check out the real thing; films like "Black Caesar," "Hell Up In Harlem," or "Trick Baby." These movies are iconic, and they all possess an authenticity that movies like "American Gangster" try so desperately hard to achieve. I know many will disagree, as this is a popular movie but, I truly hate this kind of stagey, phony style of film making and I'm wondering if anyone else sees what I'm talking about.

Fabio Testi is GOD

[–] bohunkchicklet 7 years ago

What I hate about this movie is that it states that it's "Based on a true story" when it's INSPIRED at best.
There are barely any true facts in this movie. If I listed all the inaccuracies, I would be typing for hours.

[–] Irishmonk 7 years ago

The difference between today's films and 70s films is like night and day. The French Connection, a classic 70s mainstream crime story which won several Academy Awards and cleaned up at the box office, had a frenetic, gritty toughness that felt totally authentic and didn't depict the police as being heroes. Popeye Doyle was a racist, abusive *beep* who cut corners and did whatever he felt like, and he was the good guy. He doesn't even catch the bad guy at the end. Such a film couldn't be done today, unless it was no budget indie.

[–] Falconeer 7 years ago

Popeye Doyle, you say? I wonder if he's still picking his feet in Poughkeepsie. Absolutely fantastic film, not to mention it's awesome sequel. These are the kinds of films I'm talking about. How can anybody be satisfied watching something like "American Gangster" with Denzel Washington, after growing up with "The French Connection?"

Fabio Testi is GOD