Denzel Washington proved he could direct five years ago, with "Antwone Fisher." He also demonstrated an eye for casting, choosing Derek Luke, Joy Bryant and an Oscar winner and box-office draw named ... Denzel Washington.

He is back doing double duty as actor and director for "The Great Debaters" and the material allows for an elegant touch -- the beauty of a couple in a rowboat, the sinister simplicity of a "Whites Only" stamp on a bench, the memorable image of a train disappearing into the trees, its presence marked by curlicues of gray smoke.

Once more, he is sure-footed when it comes to casting. Washington, one of the most charismatic performers in the business, appears on camera and is joined by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker along with younger actors Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker (unrelated to the older stars but sharing their spark and talent).

"The Great Debaters" is a fictional story inspired by the real 1935 debate team at small African-American Wiley College in Texas. It's a classic underdog story but given extra resonance since it's set in the Jim Crow South, where racism, lynchings, intimidation and anti-union sentiment are facts of life.

It's in this social stew that an English professor named Melvin Tolson (Washington) has managed to celebrate poetry and language, champion social justice and shape a debate team that just might be unbeatable.

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'The Great Debaters'

• Starring: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Jurnee Smollett.
• Rating: PG-13 for depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images, and for language and brief sexuality.
• Web site: 'The Great Debaters'

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Of the 45 who weather Tolson's rigorous tryout, four are chosen, with story largely focusing on three: a brilliant, studious 14-year-old named James Farmer Jr. (young Whitaker); aspiring lawyer Samantha Booke (Smollett), the first woman on the team; and Henry Lowe (Parker), a fierce book-loving intellectual who can succumb to the temptation of women, liquor and anger.

As the team racks up the wins, Tolson starts to reach out beyond the black-college circuit, although unrelated events might conspire to stop the debaters' ascent. However, if you've seen even one of these David vs. Goliath tales, you can assume it will build to a final face-off where everything is on the line -- including pride and history.

And you would be right, and you would also be correct to predict personal complications along the way, including a romance that has all the hallmarks of fiction. While some of the characters, notably Tolson, James Farmer Jr., and his father are based on real people, others are composites.

Changed for dramatic purposes, screenwriter Robert Eisele says, was the identity of the final opponent but not the outcome. That sort of license is common, but it seems misleading in a story rooted in fact.

"Great Debaters" may run two hours, but it is as economical as they come about delivering messages -- before, during and after the debates. At a time when political debates have become little more than forums for gotchas and sound bites, this movie allows arguments and intellects to breathe, and actors to shine.

Washington's sophomore directing effort, which prompted cheers and applause at a preview screening, comes down on the side of righteous minds and hearts. And there is no debate about that.