True story of crime and ambition

Frank Lucas (Washington) works as a driver to Harlem godfather Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson (Williams III). When the old man dies, various underlings jostle for supremacy including Frank, who invites his five brothers to join the business. They flood Harlem will cheap, high-grade heroin emblazoned with the Blue Magic logo, successfully out-manoeuvring the Italian mob.

Over in New Jersey, police chief Toback (Levine) asks Detective Richie Roberts (Crowe) to front a task force to bring down the city's major drug dealers. Richie and his team begin tapping snitches and they soon learn about Blue Magic, which tests 10 per cent pure and costs a mere 10 dollars.

American Gangster is a fascinating true story of crime and ambition in '70s New York, directed with flair by Ridley Scott, who excels during scenes of conflict.

The climactic swoop on Frank's drug operation is brilliantly orchestrated mayhem, injecting a burst of much-needed adrenaline into an otherwise pedestrian thriller.

The unfolding game of cat and mouse between Frank and Richie should make for riveting viewing, especially with screenwriter Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List, Gangs Of New York) pulling the strings. Yet, like the evil drug that Frank peddles, the emotional high wears off far too quickly.

Performances lack pizzazz. Washington remains placid for much of the film while Crowe brings quiet dignity to his lawmaker, who prizes honesty above everything else and cheekily quips: "You know what we do here? We arrest bad guys."

All versions of the DVD include the original theatrical and new extended versions of the film, the latter with 17 minutes of previously unseen footage. The DVD is also available as a two-disc collectors' edition in steelbook packaging.

DVD Extras: Director and writer commentary; two-disc version: Director and writer commentary, "Fallen Empire: Making American Gangster" 5 behind the scenes featurettes, "Script Meeting" featurette, "Heroin Test Show And Tell" featurette, "Setting Up The Takedown" featurette, deleted scenes including an alternative opening; HD DVD: Interactive cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage, web-enabled features.

Rating: Three out of five.

Into The Wild (Cert 15, 143 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, Drama, also available to buy DVD £19.99/HD DVD £24.99) Starring: Emile Hirsch, Jena Malone, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn, Brian Dierker, Catherine Keener, Hal Holbrook, Kristen Stewart.

Sean Penn writes and directs this extraordinary true story of a restless college graduate who was a slave to his wanderlust, rejecting the trappings of privilege to embark on a momentous journey of self-discovery.

Christopher McCandless (Hirsch) graduates from college and seems to have the world at his feet. His wealthy parents Walt (Hurt) and Billie (Harden) expect him to go to university and promise him a new car as a going-away present.

However, Chris yearns for more. He donates his life savings to charity, burns his cash and cuts up his credit cards. Then with a few belongings including a notebook to chart his grand adventure, Chris silently walks away from his cosy existence and hits the road, bound for the wintry wastes of the north.

En route Chris meets numerous colourful characters including a generous farmer (Vaughn), hippie lovebirds (Dierker, Keener) and an old timer (Holbrook), who alter his perspective on life forever.

Into The Wild is a moving adaptation of Jon Krakauer's acclaimed bestseller that cements Penn's reputation as a keen observer of the human condition at its most fragile. It's a film of great beauty and of devastating self-realisation, that the dreams and follies of carefree youth sometimes have dire consequences.

Hirsch comes magnificently of age in the central role. Wasting away physically before our eyes, it's an impassioned, transformative role that sears into the memory. Performances are excellent in even the smallest parts. Scenes between Chris and old-timer Ron, played by Oscar nominee Holbrook, are especially touching as the strangers survey the wilderness atop a mountain. Breathtaking.

DVD Extras: "Into The Wild: The Story, The Characters" featurette, "Into The Wild: The Experience" featurette; HD DVD: "Into The Wild: The Story, The Characters" featurette, "Into The Wild: The Experience" featurette, theatrical trailer.

Rating: Four out of five.

Mr Brooks (Cert 18, 115 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Thriller, also available to buy DVD £19.99) Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Dane Cook, Demi Moore, Marg Helgenberger, Danielle Panabaker, Jason Lewis, Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

Nothing is quite what it seems in Bruce A Evans's psychological thriller. To his family and friends, Earl Brooks (Costner) is the perfect husband and father, recently anointed Portland Chamber of Commerce's man of the year.

However, Earl conceals a terrible secret: he is the notorious Thumbprint Killer, a serial murderer with a raging bloodlust, and a sardonic alter ego, Marshall (Hurt), who stokes that desire for slaughter.

When amateur photographer Mr Smith (Cook) inadvertently snaps Earl committing his latest crime, the slaying of a couple in flagrante, the stranger blackmails the businessman into taking him along on the next kill.

Earl has no choice but to agree to the outlandish demands. Marshall soothes the killer's nerves. "If he tries to shake us down, we make it fun. We kill him. Period." So Earl begins to mentor Mr Smith, sharing the tricks of the trade, with police detective Tracy Atwood (Moore) and her partner Hawkins (Santiago-Hudson) close behind.

Mr Brooks is a fascinating study of a family man tormented by murderous compulsions which have lain dormant for too long. Director Evans and co-writer Raynold Gideon excise all dramatic fat, cranking up the suspense as the central protagonist heads for a tragic downfall.

It's thoroughly engrossing, investing considerable time in probing the warped psyche of the chameleonic central character.

Costner brilliantly subverts his screen image as the all-American hero, verbally jousting with Hurt's manipulative dark side. Cook is solid as the opportunistic bystander, with twisted plans of his own for Earl, but Moore's cop seems underdeveloped in comparison, her acrimonious divorce the only means to invest the character with any emotional depth.

DVD Extras: Director and writer commentary, 6 deleted scenes, "The Birth Of A Serial Killer: Writing Mr Brooks" featurette, "On The Set Of Mr Brooks" featurette, "Murder On Their Minds: Mr Brooks, Marshall And Mr Smith" featurette, theatrical trailer.