Ridley Scott’s newest film, American Gangster, is set to hit DVD this week and will surely give Scarface fans something new to marvel at. While it’s not as violent or profane as De Palma’s film, it’s just as drug-induced and lengthy. And the soundtrack is way better.

Denzel Washington stars Frank Lucas, a real-life drug kingpin running the streets of Harlem in the 1970s. His life is similar to many other mafioso characters we’ve followed on screen in countless other films. Lucas started out as a driver for a previous boss, who then dies, giving Lucas the chance to step up and take the business over.

American Gangster proceeds to paint the life of Frank Lucas like he is some sort of Robin Hood character. We watch him use a good portion of the money he’s earned in the drug trade to help those in need. He buys his family a house big enough for an army and delivers turkeys out on the street before the holidays to anyone who needs them. It’s an admirable enough trait when you forget about all the wretched things he did to get these things. How many people died so that the neighborhood could have a better Thanksgiving? Who cares, they were a bunch of drug dealers anyway. It’s not like they were killing babies on the street.

Russell Crowe plays Detective Ritchie Roberts, who devotes years of his life tracking Lucas, and loses everything in the process. His character encompasses everything we love about detectives on screen. He obsesses over this case and loses everything he knows in the process. His wife and kid walk out on him, his friends vanish, and even his partner ends up on the wrong side of the law.

The film definitely handles the look and feel of 70s New York City perfectly. Not much was needed to be done to Washington or his wardrobe (he basically looks like he does in every movie) but it is Crowe who fits the decade with ease. Everything, from his clothing and haircut to his swagger and mannerisms, help complete the sale more than anything else about this picture.

Steven Zallian (Gangs of New York) tackles the screenplay, which is based on an article by Mark Jacobson, and creates a captivating story with an otherwise basic premise. There is nothing you haven’t seen here before and nothing about it is surprising. Since the film’s release, there has been reports on how accurate the story is to the actual events, but since when do people take films that seriously? That’s what they invented books and journalists for.

There are two versions of American Gangster coming out on DVD. There is a two-disc version, which includes an unreleased version with almost 20 more minutes of movie and an alternate ending. Then there is the three-disc super collector’s edition which has all the same stuff and then some. It also includes a book on the making of the film. Either versions are worthy investments for fans of gangster films but anyone else will be satisfied with just one viewing.