Tough question. Depends on your mood. American Gangster is a parallel gangster movie starring Denzel Washington and a cop movie starring Russel Crowe that melds at the end. Gone Baby Gone is a Boston private eye story reminiscent of Mystic River, featuring Boston white trash drug addicts and a missing child. Devil is a messed up-heist/family dysfunction movie. All three were tense, but the violence is not presented for the thrill of seeing people killed. And all were excellent, with terrific performances. So, it's hard to compare. I thought Gone Baby Gone was the most emotionally engaging, American Gangster had the most big studio gloss, and Devil cheered me up before the shooting started because it featured a fat guy loser who got to be married to Marisa Tomei.
