A 2007 Denzel Washington Crime Thriller Is Finding A New Audience On Netflix

A big part of the Netflix machine is the way in which it functions like a version of that Facebook "Memories" feature for films and TV shows. The service frequently throws up older media to an audience who've had more than enough time to forget about it, resulting in the phenomenon what we now know as a Netflix renaissance. We saw it with forgotten fantasy epic "Warcraft," which took over the Netflix movie charts earlier this year, and we saw it again when Netflix breathed new life into the 2008 Keanu Reeves crime thriller "Street Kings."

Now, it's Denzel Washington's turn. Ahead of his role as rich powerbroker Macrinus in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II," a previous collaboration between the celebrated actor and esteemed filmmaker is making its way up the Netflix charts. The 2007 crime thriller "American Gangster" saw Washington play real-life criminal Frank Lucas — a heroin kingpin from Harlem whose ambition leads him to establish a drug empire of which Macrinus himself would be proud.

Naturally, this pairing of star and director made for a well-received effort that made $267 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. As you might expect, critics were complimentary of Denzel's performance in particular, and the film currently holds an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While it might not be as revered as other classics of the gangster genre, such as "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas," there's no doubt this was a strong effort from Scott. While Netflixers have proved they'll watch pretty much anything, then, the resurgence of "American Gangster" shows there's hope yet.

"American Gangster" hit Netflix on September 16, 2024, and three days later is making a run up the charts. FlixPatrol, a site that tracks viewing data across streaming services, shows that the film hit number seven on the most-watched movies chart in the United States on September 19 (which suggests Denzel Washington's crime lord is planning a Netflix takeover 17 years after he first debuted).

In order for this to be a full Netflix renaissance, though, the movie would typically debut higher and much sooner on the charts. Still, there have been instances of these forgotten movies making slow and steady progress through the rankings, so "American Gangster" may yet hit the streamer's top spot. In order to do so, however, Denzel will have to contend with McG's Netflix movie "Uglies," which is currently at number one and tells the story of a teen and her missing friend in a futuristic dystopia. One would assume a critically-derided adaptation of a YA novel ("Uglies" only has a 15% rating on RT) is no match for Frank Lucas, but in the streaming age anything can happen, so we'll have to wait and see. 

Otherwise, Frank is up against the killer action thriller "Rebel Ridge," which is currently at number two and has single-handedly proved there's hope for streaming movies being much more than the film equivalent of junk food. Both "Uglies" and "Rebel Ridge" are also holding their respective positions in the global chart, and not just the U.S., so "American Gangster" faces some major competition. But if anyone can do it, it's surely Denzel and Ridley Scott.