Ridley Scott’s acclaimed crime epic American Gangster is now streaming for free with ads on YouTube and Tubi, giving viewers a chance to revisit one of Denzel Washington’s most celebrated performances. The availability arrives as audiences take note of Scott’s latest work, The Dog Stars, a post-apocalyptic drama that pairs Washington once again with Josh Brolin. Together, the two films offer a weekend double feature that traces the director’s evolving vision of the American dream — from a gritty, historically grounded tale of 1980s Harlem to a bleak, virus-ravaged future.
A Post-Apocalyptic Prologue
The weekend’s spotlight has fallen on Scott’s newest release, The Dog Stars, a near-future noir that reimagines survival after catastrophe. In the film, the misanthropic former marine Bangley (Josh Brolin) explains to his partner Hig (Jacob Elordi) that they are, in a sense, living the American dream. They have everything they need on the airstrip where they live, even as most of humanity has been wiped out by a virus and they must regularly shoot desperate invaders. Bangley warns Hig against wanting anything more.
Nineteen years ago, Scott made a very different movie with Brolin about the American dream — a story that’s even darker because it’s based on real history rather than science fiction. American Gangster follows the rise and fall of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), who used the Vietnam War to make a fortune smuggling heroin into the U.S. It’s a crime epic in the vein of The Godfather or The Wire, anchored by one of the best performances Washington has ever given.
The Rise and Fall of Frank Lucas
Lucas begins his criminal career as the driver for Harlem mob boss Bumpy Johnson. In a monologue he gives to his younger brothers while recruiting them to leave North Carolina and join his growing drug empire, Lucas explains that Bumpy wasn’t really his own boss because he was beholden to drug suppliers. By going directly to the source — buying heroin made in Thailand and bringing it to the U.S. on war transports — Lucas is able to deliver higher quality drugs at a lower cost.
The daring move upsets all the existing power structures, even if they constantly underestimate Lucas because they assume a Black man must have a white boss. His rise happens in sync with that of Muhammad Ali, symbolic of a broader shift in American culture. Lucas even scores great seats at the Fight of the Century, which finally makes the police acknowledge he’s a real power in the criminal underworld.
Washington’s Icy Calculus
Scott is known for his focused visuals, and he zooms in on Washington as an icy cool figure in a chaotic world. Lucas has the calculating calm of a sociopath, but he drips with contempt when dealing with rival gangsters like Nicky Barnes (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Tango (Idris Elba). He dresses simply, and even disguises himself at times to observe operations incognito. He’s viciously critical of his brother Huey (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who wants to flaunt his newfound wealth.
Lucas reserves his greatest ire for Detective Nick Trupo (Brolin), a corrupt cop who harasses Lucas and drives a luxury car. There is a constant threat of violence in their interactions, which are some of the tensest moments in the film. In one of American Gangster’s most memorable scenes, Trupo and his officers destroy a dresser Lucas had specially built for his mother to replace a version she lost when he was a child. The gift was a metaphor for the family’s rise out of poverty and Lucas’ ambitions to give his mother what he felt she deserved. Its destruction symbolizes their downfall as his power begins to crumble, with Lucas’ family winding up even worse than they were before.
It’s easy to become entranced by the methodical confidence Washington brings to his role, but Scott never shies away from demonstrating the evil that Lucas’ empire is built on. Scenes of him enjoying himself at his club are juxtaposed with brutal sequences of intravenous drug use, including a woman overdosing next to her screaming baby. Lucas profits off the horrors of war and the misery of veterans who become addicted abroad to bring even more death home.
Critics and analysts
Looking Ahead
With American Gangster now streaming for free on Tubi and YouTube — and also available on VOD — viewers can plan a double feature for the weekend and see how Scott’s views on what the American dream means have evolved over nearly two decades. Whether revisiting the crime epic or diving into the post-apocalyptic drama, the pairing underscores a director who remains as sharp and uncompromising as ever.
1 comment