American Gangster dramatizes the true story of drug kingpin Frank Lucas and the rigorous investigation by Detective Richie Roberts that took down his empire. Starring Denzel Washington as Lucas and Russell Crowe as Roberts, the Ridley Scott-directed movie opened to rave reviews and has garnered a cult following among modern crime dramas. The screenplay, which was penned by biopic genre veteran Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List) focuses on Lucas’s rise to power in New York as he smuggles heroin into America on military planes returning from the Vietnam War. American Gangster mainly takes inspiration from the New York magazine article “The Return of Superfly” by Mark Jacobson.

https://screenrant.com/american-gangster-true-story-changes-movie-frank-lucas/