Russell Crowe Faced Denzel Washington In This Sci-Fi Action Movie 12 Years Before Their $266M Hit

Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington starred in a notable action movie before American Gangster. American Gangster is widely considered one of the greatest movies of both Washington and Crowe’s careers, earning a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 81% and an audience score of 90%. Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian, American Gangster also starsChiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Carla Gugino. Washington plays Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin in Harlem, and Crowe stars as Richie Roberts, the detective determined to bring him down.

Crowe is celebrated for starring in major blockbusters such as Gladiator, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 3:10 to Yuma, and Robin Hood. He made his feature film debut in 1990’s Prisoners of the Sun and is a three-time Best Actor Oscar nominee for The Insider and A Beautiful Mind, winning for his role as Maximus in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Washington is best known for his roles in Remember the Titans, The Equalizer trilogy, Training Day, Malcolm X, and Flight. He is a 2-time Oscar winner for his roles in Glory (1989) and Training Day (2001) and was recently nominated for his roles in The Tragedy of Macbeth and Fences.