8 Epic Performances By Denzel Washington

5) American Gangster

He may play heroes and villains and everything in between, but Denzel is never predictable in the way he approaches a role. In American Gangster we see him on the other side of the law compared to Training Day, although the distinction is fairly dubious. I’m sure it’s a conscious choice, then, that he alludes to one of his famous lines from Training Day, the cleaned up version making the occasional appearance in American Gangster: “My man.” He flips back and forth between seeming like a benevolent criminal and a monster, and that’s just in the first act of the film.

For the most part, his take on Frank Lucas is remarkably subdued. He seems genuinely concerned with family and loyalty. He’s reacting to an economic system that’s blatantly unjust. And yet he kills without batting an eye. Frank is as complex as Alonzo but less forthcoming, or perhaps more in control, when it comes to his dark side. We’ve seen him let loose in plenty of other roles, and he gets to here on occasion, but it’s done with a little added delicacy, a concern for appearances, and guarding against recklessness and mistakes, for the most part.

Mostly, seeing Washington as a kingpin or leader of a business empire lets him take up more screen time, and when he gets to play around the way he does here, it’s going to be a fascinating watch.