Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) was never noticed, as he was the quiet driver of Harlem's leading black crime boss (Clarence Williams III). But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank decides to build his own empire and soon begins to rule the inner-city drug trade. On the other side of the law, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is an honest street cop who is assigned to help take down the drug underworld, and believes that Frank has risen above the Mafia families to dominate the scene.