American Gangster is a 2007 American
biographical crime film directed and produced by
Ridley Scott and written by
Steven Zaillian. The film is based on the criminal career of
Frank Lucas, a gangster from
La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the
Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by detective
Richie Roberts. The film stars
Russell Crowe and
Denzel Washington in their first lead acting roles together since 1995's
Virtuosity. The film also co-stars
Ted Levine,
John Ortiz,
Josh Brolin,
Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Norman Reedus,
Ruby Dee,
Lymari Nadal and
Cuba Gooding, Jr.