The streaming wars have become more combative and heated than ever as new platforms regularly enter the mix, but one thing you can rely on whether we’re talking out Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or HBO Max, is that anything starring Denzel Washington is guaranteed to draw in an audience, regardless of how old or new the movie in question is.
Over the last few months, the screen legend has further enhanced his reputation as one of the few talents in the business capable of drawing in a crowd based on nothing but his name alone after a plethora of titles from his back catalogue cracked the Top 10 most-watched list on a variety of platforms.
The Equalizer 2, The Magnificent Seven, Training Day, The Little Things and more have all found a new lease of life across several of the major streamers, and we can now add Ridley Scott’s American Gangster to that list, with the sprawling crime thriller currently one of the ten most popular movies on Hulu.
Despite gaining strong reviews from critics and earning $266 million at the box office, American Gangster wasn’t quite the prestige drama many touted it would be, and only ended up with a solitary pair of Academy Award nominations, although Washington did find himself shortlisted for a Golden Globe in the Best Actor – Drama category.
A biographical story that nonetheless took plenty of creative liberties with true-life events, the narrative traces Frank Lucas’ rise to power in 1970s New York, and the dogged detective determined to bring him down in a rivalry that spans decades. As slick, stylish and star studded as you’d expect from a Ridley Scott effort starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Idris Elba and more, American Gangster is an entertaining throwback to the Golden Age of the gangster movie.