By Vic Holtreman

Short version: As usual, Denzel Washington gives an intense performance in this fascinating story of a drug kingpin’s daring and rapid rise to power.

American Gangster is based on the true story of Frank Lucas, and African American drug kingpin that rose to power in the New York metropolitan area during the Vietnam war. Lucas is played by Denzel Washington in the uncharacteristic role of bad guy, but much like similar Mafia characters from other films, with a counterbalanced code of ethics when it comes to family. The film was directed by Ridley Scott and also stars Russel Crowe as Richie Roberts, the (almost only) honest cop who has been tasked with putting a dent in the drug trade in the area.

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There’s a new list out (don’t we all just love lists?) of the 20 most anticipated movies coming out in the next 12 months.

Movietickets.com polled 2,000 active moviegoers to determine what movies they were most looking forward to. What’s an “active moviegoer” you ask? It’s someone who’s seen a lot of movies this summer. Over 50% of those polled have seen at least six films this summer, with almost 20% having seen 11 or more! So I would imagine that means that many of those polled were teenagers or in their early 20’s.

Before I get to the big list, here’s the breakdown by gender:

Top Five Films Guys Are Looking Forward To:

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2. The Dark Knight
3. Iron Man
4. National Treasure: Book of Secrets
5. American Gangster

Top Five Films The Ladies Are Looking Forward To:

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2. National Treasure: Book of Secrets
3. The Dark Knight
4. American Gangster
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Come on girls, aren’t you interested in Iron Man, a suave playboy/James Bond-type that wears armor and flies?