Cinematical

The first trailer for Ridley Scott's American Gangster has arrived online with a sweet inner-city '70s vibe and what looks to be another outstanding performance from Denzel Washington. Rarely do we get to see Denzel play a bad guy; although he won an Oscar for his role as corrupt cop Alonzo in Training Day, he usually stays away from the part of villain and, instead, caters to those who would rather see him play the hero. Not the case here; Denzel looks bad. But not in a "wrong guy to meet in a dark alley" kind of bad -- I'm talking the "flashes a bright smile before he shoots you in the face" type bad.

Based on a true story, the film revolves around an up-and-coming druglord (Washington) and the tough cop (Russell Crowe) who attempts to not only put this guy out of business, but also convince those around him that a black man is capable of becoming more powerful than any of the five Mafia families in New York City. Gangster marks the third Ridley Scott film starring Crowe; the first of which (Gladiator) won all kinds of awards, while the second (A Good Year) just sort of melted into the background (perhaps because it didn't feature Crowe killing anyone with his bare hands). With an exceptional supporting cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Common and RZA, look for Gangster to have some talking Oscar once it arrives in theaters on November 2.