Washington Dominates in Dark Morality Tale

American cinema has had a long love affair with the image of the gangster. This stretches back to the black and white films of James Cagney, the epic Godfather trilogy, and the lurid "Scarface" of the 1980s.

"American Gangster," starring big-screen heart throbs Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, can be added to that list of gangster epics. The movie is directed by veteran director Ridley Scott, who has helmed screen classics like "Alien," "Black Hawk Down" and "Gladiator."

The movies describes the rise of fall of Frank Lucas, a legendary Harlem drug dealer who has the dubious distinction of popularizing the use of heroin in urban America. Lucas, played by the always charismatic Washington, is an unusual gangster. "American Gangster" portrays Lucas as more of a criminal CEO than a hoodlum. He wears business suits, rises at 5 a.m. to kick off the day at his favorite downtown coffee shop and tries to stay below the radar. He sees himself as a businessman; the product he happens to be selling is heroin. In recent years Denzel Washington has taken darker roles in movies like "Man on Fire" and more infamously in "Training Day" which won him an Oscar. Washington maybe trying to broaden his acting range, he may also be attracted to the juicy bad guy roles.

Washington has managed to pull this off, because even though he has played some nasty characters, his natural warmth and charm, occasionally peeks through his characters' grim deeds. "American Gangster" portrays Lucas both an honorable family man and a cold-blooded amoral drug dealer. One of the best scenes is when Lucas executes a rival in broad daylight and then calmly returns to breakfast with his brothers.