Ridley Scott, Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Cuba Gooding Jr.(hey... he won an Oscar once!), and scripted by the guy who wrote Schindler's List, in a streets gangster epic released near Oscar season. Can you go wrong? Honestly I think the movie looks awesome and a half... and it'll continue the trend of movie's movies headlining the contender lineup, 2005 is being pushed farther and farther to the back of my mind.

I think if Departed wins this year, it'll hamper its chances of actually taking it, though it should be in the race for sure. Maybe Scott finally gets his Oscar, while someone else wins BP.

I see it being a big blockbuster more than an Oscar contender... Then again, that's what people said about The Departed so we'll see.

Except Marty + Leo + Jack >>> Ridley + Russell + Denzel?

Charlie Wilson's War and Lions for Lambs are far more likely contenders at the moment, IMO.

It does remind me a lot of The Departed, and I agree that if The Departed wins this year, it won't next year. Ridley just might get his dues, which have been a long time coming.

Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Josh Brolin, Armand Assante, RZA, John Ortiz, John Hawkes, Ted Levine... That's a pretty damn good cast from where I'm standing. Actually the plots aren't even all that far apart.

Last year at this time Dreamgirls was the big frontrunner; Memoirs of a Geisha the year before it and The Aviator the year before that. If I were the frontrunner this early on I'd be worried.

Russell Crowe is going to have a good year between American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma.I think American Gangster could be a 100 million hit because of the star power of Crowe+Denzel+Ridley while Yuma will get pretty much Prestige numbers

You are forgetting the film that loyal is producing. It will win best picture next year (I am writing it, it has 5 letters in the title).

Departed is like a crime masterpiece directed by Marty, with a big BO to back it up and even it will have a hard time getting the Oscar.

American Gangster will be lucky to be nominated i'd say, I have faith that it'll be really solid, but no. It's no frontrunner.

I agree Neither will win in the end. Hell, they migth be lucky to get nominated. But at this moment, they're the most Oscar-y upcoming releases. Most other predictions are fancy guesswork that may or may not pay off. Hell, we didn't even know two of this year's BP nominees were being released at this time (The Queen/Letters) and would've laughed off another (LMS). Babel and (For some, certainly not me) The Departed were the only potential BP contenders at this point that that made it. I mean, who would've guessed that Meryl Streep would be nommed for the summer chick flick and not the Robert Altman ensemble?

It's a dangerous biz, I tell ya.

More then anything, it just says a lot about attempting to make any sort of concrete predictions this early on. Sure it would be nice to have those bragging rights but there's just too much space for anyone to really know. I still remember how the buzz was that The Departed was a dud after WB didn't have it play at the Toronto Film Festival.

Or how Brokeback couldn't even get into Cannes two years ago. Boy did that hurt buzz early on.

I don't know, I kind of feel that Charlie's has TOO much big time stars and accolades stacked up for it, it seems like a perfect early candidate to falter. Ditto for Lambs, though on a lesser scale. Gangster to me seems a movie that is not dealing with that Oscar baiting stuff-in, the movie isn't fucking around... Scott is aiming for a piece of art while the others solely want Oscar. I think it'll be hard for Scott + Denzel + Crowe + Streets epic to fail, though obviously it just might not be Oscar material. Obviously as anything it can fail, but it's the one movie I see at least delivering as a good and memorable movie, even if it doesn't get nominated.

I think once again we're trying too hard to use the exception as the rule, much as we've been with another Crash happening this year. Scott has had only two other major Oscar contenders - Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, and only one of them was even nommed for Picture. He's much less regerded by the Academy than Scorsese.

The Departed is the exception people. Not the rule.

It's probably more like a Training Day situation where Denzel and Crowe will get nominated, but the film itself will most likely be shut out of the other big awards.

Hmm, yeah, it'll certainly score buzz, but don't forget:

A Good Year had Scott and Crowe...we all know where it ended.

All the King's Men had an all-star cast and was directed/written by the same guy who wrote An American Gangster. We know what happened with that.

Yes, it does have the pedigree and it will definitely be a box-office success. With an interesting plot and Crowe/Washington $80+ million is guaranteed. I see one acting nom for either of the two, but not sure about BP/BD.

Bump

IT HATH BEGUN

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/american_gangster/

6-0, 8.0/10 average.








Not the most well known critics have chimed in so far admittingly, but it's a good sign.

8-0, but the two new reviews were a B and B+. It definitley doesn't have the 'holyfckingcrap!' reaction The Departed had last year, or anything close to it.

So unless the others fall short or its a monster smash, winning is probably going to be near impossible for it now, I concede.

Like I said in my American Gangster thread in here: Denzel is a lock, the rest doubtful. Won't win Best Picture for sure

Yeah this isn't going to win, and will be nominated only if there aren't enough other good films out there, but it'll have plenty of box office on it's side.

I think it might behave similarly to Gangs of New York. Ridley Scott is about as overdue as Scorsese was at that point and the films' reviews should be similar with AG having a bigger box-office.

the departed was the first of its kind in years; AG was never going to get that kind of reaction; this ones all about crowd pleasing and big box office to propel an award season run.

It took me by surprise. I've been pimping it yeah, but after the general consensus so far of very good, B+ type of film, I had my guard down a bit. It really is fantastic, one of the year's very best, if not the best. Can't wait to see it again on the big screen.

I'm more convinced than ever that Scott is the one to beat in BD, it's one of the finest directed films in a long time. Which shouldn't be that big of a surprise, this is the guy that made Alien after all. In particular the drug raid scene is a total masterclass, freakin insane.

I'd also be very surprised if this didn't get a BP nom, even leaving my personal love out of it, this has awards superstar written all over it, it's exactly the kind of movie that gets eaten up.

SEE. BLADE. RUNNER.

What impresses me most about Scott is not necessarily his directing skill but his versatility and his wide range. He's made Alien, a monster movie. He's made Blade Runner, a sci-fi noir. He's made Thelma & Louise, a chick flick buddy comedy. He's made Gladiator, a sword-and-sandals epic. He's made Black Hawk Down, a gritty war flick. And now he's made American Gangster, a crime drama. I think he's probably the best director since Kubrick to have such success in so many different genres.

By the way, here's the nomination rundown I think it can get

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Editing
Best Score

maybe solid chance:
Best Supporting Actor(Josh Brolin... I actually think this is more likely than Crowe)
Best Screenplay(Good but it doesn't stand out)

maybe probably nots:
Best Supporting Actor(Crowe)
Best Supporting Actress(Ruby Dee could get the elderly vote)
Best Cinematography(I would give one to it, don't know if it can gain support for that though)

I'm still saying the only sure shot is Best Actor, all the others are just possible. And I would rule out Russell Crowe.