Review Detail
9.5 5 10
Overall rating
8.2
Audio/Video Quality
7.0
Audio Editing
7.0
Visual Editing
7.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I'm a huge fan of removing extraneous elements from gangster films. Years ago, I tried to edit American Gangster to remove the police angle and focus on Frank. Every which way I tried, I couldn't get it to play in a way that I liked it. I even tried something similar to what L8wrtr pulled off here and failed miserably. What I didn't realize is that this film didn't need to be excised, it needed to be restructured.
Narratively, this edit is flat-out brilliant. Presenting one story, then the other, then connecting them right where L8wrtr did was perfect. It almost has a Tarantino-esque quality to it. The editing is flawless. I know just how tough this film is to edit and to see scenes and transitions I agonized over pulled off with an invisible hand shows you just how great L8wrtr is at this.
Technically, there were a couple of issues. This film has a wonderful 5.1 mix that was thankfully preserved in the edit, but there are a number of audio glitches in the LR and RR channels that pop up during the film. It is quite obvious at approximately 5:15, 17:40, 29:00 and another dozen or so spots throughout the film. It is enough to be annoying and really should have been corrected before release. The other issue is that, while the picture itself is great, the framing is off. The top and bottom black bars are very thin and the bottom bar is about twice the width of the top bar. It's one of those things where once you see it, you can't not see it.
But with that said, these issues do not detract from the the overall enjoyment. This edit improves on the original tenfold. Any fans of the genre should rush to watch this.
American Gangster was a good gangster movie. American Gangster: Two Tales is a great gangster movie.
Narratively, this edit is flat-out brilliant. Presenting one story, then the other, then connecting them right where L8wrtr did was perfect. It almost has a Tarantino-esque quality to it. The editing is flawless. I know just how tough this film is to edit and to see scenes and transitions I agonized over pulled off with an invisible hand shows you just how great L8wrtr is at this.
Technically, there were a couple of issues. This film has a wonderful 5.1 mix that was thankfully preserved in the edit, but there are a number of audio glitches in the LR and RR channels that pop up during the film. It is quite obvious at approximately 5:15, 17:40, 29:00 and another dozen or so spots throughout the film. It is enough to be annoying and really should have been corrected before release. The other issue is that, while the picture itself is great, the framing is off. The top and bottom black bars are very thin and the bottom bar is about twice the width of the top bar. It's one of those things where once you see it, you can't not see it.
But with that said, these issues do not detract from the the overall enjoyment. This edit improves on the original tenfold. Any fans of the genre should rush to watch this.
American Gangster was a good gangster movie. American Gangster: Two Tales is a great gangster movie.
A