Denzel Back At His Sinister Finest

Star Dazzles As Drug Lord Frank Lucas In "American Gangster"

(CBS)  Denzel Washington is happy to be playing the sinister villain again. The two-time Oscar winner plays drug lord Frank Lucas in "American Gangster", set to open Nov. 2.

The movie is based on the real-life ascension of drug lord Frank Lucas who got his start as the driver for renowned Harlem gangster Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. By the mid-1970s Lucas netted $1 million a day by smuggling heroin from Southeast Asia in false-bottomed coffins of American servicemen killed in the Vietnam War.

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Photos: "American Gangster" Premiere
Photos: Crowe On 'Gangster' Set

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In an exclusive interview with Jet magazine, Denzel Washington said he had no qualms about taking the part. "I wasn't hesitant at all. A good story is a good story," Washington said. "I just think that before 'Training Day,' I hadn't been offered that kind of role. After 'Training Day,' that was all I was offered."

Russell Crowe stars opposite Washington's character as Det. Richie Roberts, a devoted cop who is determined to weed out corruption both on the streets and within New York's very own anti-drug task force. Roberts' pure intentions clash with Lucas' darker scruples to create a muddled gray morality that runs throughout the film.

"That's the fascinating thing about the two characters in the story," said Crowe. "There is not a clear, singular morality."

The cast also had jumbled opinions of the living Frank Lucas. After spending five hours with Frank Lucas, director Ridley Scott described the legendary drug dealer a sociopath. "I think that's the best word for him and everything that entails," Scott said.

2Denzel Washington saw another side of Lucas. "I wouldn't say that about Frank. I didn't find that to be true ... He was on the wrong side of the tracks, but he was a brilliant student and became a master at the business that he was in."

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Photo Essay: Denzel Washington

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Hip-hop star Common plays Lucas' brother, who sets up a storefront to mask the drug distribution. Common appreciated that no one could agree on the film's meaning.

"You can see the good and the bad in him. That's what this film explores," Common said. "We all have good and bad in us."

The Jet issue hits newsstands Nov. 5.

[quietjoy]

This is quite a depart from "The Bible Experience". Denzel''s quite a talented actor to pull off both roles.