"American Gangster" is great. it's long, yes, but that's the only way it could be. after all, it's the Black Godfather we're talking about. its darker tone worked very well for me and the characters are both very interesting (Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts) as well as the story itself. I watched the commentary track with Ridley Scott and he seems to know what he was talking about. overall I believe it's a very underrated movie that doesn't get any love because it don't bring what some people want to see. there's not much action or very likeable characters but if you focus on the great story that's being told, there's nothing wrong with it.