<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $100 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $266.5 million </Td> </Tr> <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> 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 . </P>

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