While police corruption thrusts society into grave danger in real life, deceitful officers of major police departments have become some of the most memorable antagonists on screen throughout film history. That’s certainly the case for the villainous lead characters in the new crime drama, ‘Mob Cops.’

The criminal officers in the movie, Sammy Canzano and Leo Benetti, are based on two real-life New York City Police Department (NYPD) detectives, Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito. The former detectives committed various illegal activities on behalf of the American Mafia between the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, before being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009.

‘Mob Cops’follows Sammy (David Arquette) and Leo (Jeremy Luke), a pair of crooked NYPD officers on the mob’s payroll, who become increasingly involved in mob activity over their long career on the force. They’re pursued by Detective Tim Delgado (Danny Abeckaser), who’s unable to make any charges against them stick.

Sammy and Leo are protected by Ben (Bo Dietl), who pays the lawmen to cover up the mob’s illegal business dealings. But as the years pass, Sammy loses confidence in his crimes, despite Leo continuing to enjoy his wealth and prosperity. The latter earns some fame as he shares his police exploits with the media, particularly with a book.

As Tim continues to hunt for evidence with his partner, Jesse (Nathaniel Buzolic), they’re put into increasing danger, especially with mob enforcer Galiano (Joseph Russo), tracking them. As a result, a firestorm erupts between the dirty cops working for the city’s brutal crime boss and the officers who are trying to bring them to justice

Besides starring in the film, Abeckaser also directed and produced the feature, which was written by Kosta Kondilopoulous. The drama’s supporting cast includes Joseph Russo, Kyle Stefanski, Kevin Connolly and Graham Sibley.

Lionsgate will release ‘Mob Cops’in theaters and On Demand and on digital today, April 25, 2025. In honor of the movie’s distribution, Luke generously took the time earlier this week to talk about starring in the feature during an exclusive interview over Zoom.

Film Factual (FF): You play Leo Benetti in the new crime drama, ‘Mob Cops.’ What was it about your character, as well as the overall script, that convinced you to take on the role?

Jeremy Luke (JL): I think what really interested me was the fact that a person who took an oath to the NYPD was involved in organized crime with his family. I think that walking that line was really interesting.

He was also chasing fame and notoriety. That was really interesting to me, and was what drew me to the role, along with the fact that it’s a true story. I gravitate towards true stories, especially over the last few years.

FF: Speaking of the fact that the film is based on the lives and careers of Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, how did that influence your preparation to play Leo?

JL: Before he was arrested and it was discovered that he was working for the mafia, he wrote a book about his escapades as a “good cop,” which I read about two years ago. I thought that his story was really fascinating. So it was a really interesting role for me to do.

FF: ‘Mob Cops’ was directed by Danny Abeckaser, which marks your second collaboration with him, following the 2023 crime thriller, ‘Inside Man.’ What was your working relationship like with him on ‘Mob Cops,’ as both co-stars and the helmer and actor?

JL: Danny’s a friend of mine, so I was really excited to work with him again. He’s very easy to work with on set. We collaborate and get along really well. He lets me do my own thing, and then he comes in and edits the film together perfectly.

David Arquette was great to work with, too. He lives in another state, so we did a couple of FaceTimes beforehand.

Then when he got here, we just started rehearsing. We went to this place called Patty’s Diner and just sat down, had food and just rehearsed as much as we could. We shared information because there was so much information on these two guys, including interviews from 2020 and documentaries. So there was a lot to work from.

FF: Besides Danny and David, the drama also stars a variety of actors, including Joseph Russo, Lynn Adrianna Freedman, Jeffrey Vincent Parise and Graham Sibley. What was your experience like collaborating with the rest of the cast?

JL: Funny you say that because Joseph Russo, who we call Joey, is a friend of mine. He played Galliano in this film. Joey and I have worked together on quite a number of films and projects, and we also did a play together a long time ago, which was cool.

Then Lynn Adrianna Freedman, who played my character’s wife, Lynn Adriana, was also in a play with me about a year earlier. So that was great, too.

Jeffrey Vincent Parise, who played the FBI agent, was the producer at the end. Jeff and I have been friends for a number of years.

Graham Sibley, who played Ira Grossman, is also a friend of mine. He actually helped me with the role for about a month before the shoot. Graham and I met every single day. and we worked a lot on our characters.

FF: Once you arrived on set and began filming, did you and your co-stars improvise at all, or did you mainly stick to the script as you were developing your characters?

JL: Yes, some scenes were improvised. I know there was a scene where Bo Dieti’s character of Sherman and my character were just yelling and screaming at each other. A lot of that was improvised.

He was calling me pizza face and all this stuff. In response, I was telling him to go get his Pampers because he was old. (Luke laughs.) I think a lot of that stuff got omitted, though, in the end.

FF: How did you create the physicality for your portrayal of Leo?

JL: I didn’t have any stunt work, but the physicality was really helpful. He was a way bigger guy than I was, so I gained about 15 pounds in order to play him. I also started working out really heavily to feel physically bigger.

Then I had to wear a fat suit that made me look like I was over 50 pounds overweight. Then on top of that, this guy was a tall guy. I’m not, though, as I’m 5′ 6″. So I had three-inch lifts in the boots that I was wearing.

So the physicality helped a lot. Getting big really helped me with the physicality a lot.

FF: Speaking about the boots you wore in the movie, what was the experience like in working with Danny and the wardrobe department to creating the look for your character?

JL: We talked about his evolution with the wardrobe department. So in the beginning, he’s more of a cop and is on the cop side of things.

Then throughout the film, especially later in the story, he dresses a lot slicker and becomes more mafia. They were in agreement with me on that.

FF: The movie is set in New York City. What was the experience like shooting on the studio lot of New York City?

JL: When you shoot on the New York street on the Warner Brothers lot, it is ridiculous. You can’t help but feel like you are actually in New York City.

For me, shooting on that street was the coolest thing. You can walk up and down the street because there aren’t any cars, as it’s a controlled environment. Then you knock on those buildings and they’re basically like cardboard!

FF: Lionsgate is releasing ‘Mob Cops’ in theaters and On Demand and On Digital (today, April 25). Are you excited for audiences to see the movie?

JL: It’s a true story, so I can’t believe nobody has made this film before. It’s just such a crazy true story that actually happened. It’s a story of people getting greedy and thinking they’re on top of the world and above the law, even if they are the law.

Then they get found out just by putting themselves out there and doing bad things. I don’t think they would ever get away with something like this nowadays. So I would like for everyone to see this film anyway they can so that they can see what these types of officers did back then.

Jeremy Luke as “Leo Bennetti” in the crime thriller ‘Mob Cops,’