American Gangster was released in 2007. Ridley Scott’s biographical crime drama premiered in New York on October 20, 2007, before its theatrical release in the United States and Canada on November 2.
The film stars Denzel Washington as Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe as detective Richie Roberts. Its story is loosely based on Lucas’s heroin-trafficking empire and the law-enforcement investigation that eventually brought him down. Steven Zaillian wrote the screenplay, and the production reunited Scott with several major stars after a long period of development and changing directors.
The year can be confused with 2008 because the film’s DVD and HD DVD editions arrived in February 2008. Its release year is also sometimes mixed up with other Ridley Scott projects from the same period. American Gangster was a major commercial success, earning more than $266 million worldwide, and it received two Academy Award nominations, including one for Ruby Dee.