The poster summarizes the film American Gangster through visual elements. It centers Denzel Washington's character as the main focus. Denzel Washington is depicted in highly contrasting black and white with red, typical colors for a gangster film. The white suit Russell Crowe wears connotes his character's purity as a member of law enforcement. Icons like guns and suits imply the main character's involvement in crime and corruption through violence and terror to achieve power. Information about the director's previous acclaimed films also promotes audience interest in expecting high quality.

1. The focal point of the image is the actor, Denzel Washington, this makes the
audience understand that the film is centred around this character. Denzel
Washington is represented photographically as the main colours used in the
poster are highly contrasted use of black and white and red which are
typically colours for a gangster film which this genre conforms to, reflect the
terror and corruption that is represented in the movie. The highly contrasted
white suit connotes Crowe’s character’s purity, as he is on the side of the
law.
The use of iconography
showed in the poster for
example the Gun and
suitswhichare iconsused
in the genre of crime
gangster movies. The use
of the gun shows the
corruption of the main
character or a hint of the
lifestyle the main
character may be part of
coupled with the white
suit may imply how he
was about to get to the
positionof himbeingable
to wear the suit through
violence and terror.
Although there are no
critics quotes on the
poster, the poster does
show the previous movies
that the director of this
movie has been on e.g.
the “gladiator and the
black hawk down” this
also gives way for an
audience who watched
the two moviestobe able
to watch this one,
expecting it to be the
same or even better
quality as the gladiator or
the black hawk down,
even though there is no
tagline on the poster, the
use of the notable actor
“Denzel Washington”
gives the audience and
fans of Denzel
Washington an interest
into the movie.
The film title is bold and
placed in the middle of
the poster, making it
clear to the audience.
The little splash of red
seen looks similar to
blood, helping to create
the impressionthatthere
is violence and brutality
inthe film, asit is a crime
film.
The police badge on
Russell Crowe helps
establish that he is
working for the police,
confirming that
Washington’scharacter is
the titular ‘AMERICAN
GANGSTER’.
The poster follows the conventions of all posters and
features the production and distribution companies at the
bottom.