Because I've come to think of Denzel Washington [0] as more like a sexy, sweet guy — someone you'd want as, say, the father of your kids — this trailer for American Gangster [1] provides a bit of a jolt. In this Ridley Scott-directed project, Washington plays Frank Lucas, a loyal family man/leader of a crime ring in 1970s Harlem. It's that scary thing, not unlike Tom Hanks' character in Road to Perdition [2], where you think you know that kindhearted member of your family until they turn out to be a cold-blooded member of the Mafia. Rusell Crowe costars as the roguish cop on Lucas' trail, looking convincingly dowdy. Special bonus: My man Chiwetel Ejiofor [2] also stars.

The trailer is chilling and fully has that New York-in-the-1970s look, so to watch,