Claim: Russell Crowe has acted in a production directed by Ridley Scott.

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. .   Development for the film initially began in 2000 , when Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment purchased the rights to a New York magazine story about the rise and fall of Lucas . Two years later , screenwriter Steven Zaillian introduced a 170-page scriptment to Scott . Original production plans were to commence in Toronto for budget purposes ; however , production eventually relocated permanently to New York City . Because of the film 's rising budget Universal canceled production in 2004 . After negotiations with Terry George , it was later revived with Scott at the helm in March 2005 . Principal photography commenced over a period of five months from July to December 2006 ; filming took place throughout New York City and concluded in Thailand .   American Gangster premiered in New York on October 20 , 2007 , and was released in the United States and Canada on November 2 . The film was well received by most film critics , and grossed over US$ 266.5 million worldwide , with domestic grosses standing at $ 130.1 million . Many of the people portrayed , including Roberts and Lucas , have stated that the film took a lot of creative license with the story , and three former DEA agents sued Universal claiming the agency 's portrayal was demoralizing . American Gangster was nominated for twenty-one awards , including two Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Supporting Actress -LRB- Ruby Dee -RRB- , and won three including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Dee .