American Gangster 2007, 18, Universal £19.99

Having proven with the dismal A Good Year that neither of them has any talent for light comedy, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe get back to what the do they best with American Gangster. It's encouragingly hard-hitting and visually stylish fare, with Scott effortlessly evoking the street-wise style of Seventies New York, beautifully backlit by Harris Savides, whose camera seeks out shadowy encounters at every turn.

Nodding its head toward The French Connection, this sprawling 'true-crime' epic follows the misadventures of Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington), an African-American answer to the Cosa Nostra who cuts out the middle man by importing drugs directly from the war-torn corners of the world. 'No nigger has accomplished what the American Mafia hasn't,' sneers one die-hard crime-buster, shocked at the prospect of a new black godfather. Yet as Lucas's empire grows, bringing about his downfall becomes a mission for scuzzy detective Richie Roberts, a descendant of Popeye Doyle, whose life is far less reputable than that of his prey.

As the behind-the-scenes footage shows, the real-life Lucas spent a lot of time on set, prompting the oft-quoted observation that anyone who spent a day in his company would end up working for him. Certainly as embodied by the charismatic Denzel Washington, Lucas's character packs plenty of charm, shamelessly invoking audience sympathy even as he deals high-grade narcotics to low-end users. The resulting romp unquestionably mythologises its antihero, but does so with enough cinematic panache to assuage (if not atone for) its thematic crimes.

This DVD package presents American Gangster in both theatrical and 'extended' cuts, with commentary by Scott and screenwriter Steven Zaillian. Dual-disc editions carry featurettes covering production and real-life backstory, deleted scenes and 'alternate opening'.