Lucas’ life was dramatized in the crime film American Gangster (2007) by Ridley Scott, in which he was portrayed by Denzel Washington, featuring Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, Ted Levine as Lou Toback, Idris Elba as Tango & Armand Assante as Dominic Cattano.
In an interview with MSNBC, Lucas expressed his excitement about the film and amazement at Washington’s portrayal, though he admitted only a small portion of the film was true, much of it fabricated for narrative effect.
American Gangster
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American Gangster Frank Lucas
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Despite being the top billed actors, Denzel Washington (Frank Lucas) & Russell Crowe (Richie Roberts) don’t meet face to face till around the 2:33:10 mark of the movie & share the last 23 minutes of the movie together. The closest they get to sharing a scene is the Ali Vs. Frazier boxing match scene.