<P> American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian . The film is fictionally 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 . </P>
<P> American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian . The film is fictionally 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 . </P>
who was the movie american gangster based on
who was the movie american gangster based on
Frank Lucas
Frank Lucas