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15 Heart-Pounding Denzel Washington Action Movies That Always Hit
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Vote up the action movies starring Denzel Washington that pack a huge punch.
Denzel Washington has been in dozens of movies since his career began, and while his works range in genre from science-fiction and romance to comedy and drama, his bread and butter has always been action. Washington's work in action movies is always top shelf, even if some of his films are less beloved than his performances within them.
As a result, Washington has a bunch of action movies that always hit with the fans, delivering pulse-pounding conflicts that are elevated by his trademark intense acting style. This list highlights Washington's greatest action films that are guaranteed to get the heart racing.
- 177 VOTES
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Who He Plays: John Creasey, a former CIA operative and USMC Force Recon Captain turned mercenary/bodyguard
The Mission: Creasy takes a suggestion from an old friend to get into bodyguard game, protecting Lupita Ramos (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of a wealthy Mexican automaker. Creasy takes his job seriously, so when his charge is captured, he stops at nothing to get her back. He's a force to be reckoned with, and those who cross him risk finding out why he's called an “artist of death.”
Why It Always Hits: Man on Fire features excellent action sequences, but on top of that, the overarching theme of vengeance makes Creasy's kills all the more compelling. He's an unstoppable force, indeed, a “man on fire.” While the movie didn't perform exceptionally well at the box office, it remains an excellent entry in Washington's repertoire.
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Who He Plays: Robert McCall, a former Marine and DIA/DCS officer
The Mission: McCall believes he's put his past to rest, now living an unassuming life working in a home improvement store in Boston. When he comes across a young girl being controlled by violent Russian gangsters, he decides to take matters into his own hands to help her. He dispatches criminals with a rather creative variety of weapons, including power tools, finding his own justice since the system won't help those who need it.
Why It Always Hits: The Equalizer is Washington at his best, kicking off what would become an enduring film trilogy cemented in place by his inimitable performance. The film's penchant for depicting new and innovative ways to kill bad guys makes it a compelling action flick that blends the grimness and glory of vigilantism.
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- 345 VOTES
Who He Plays: Lieutenant Commander Ronald "Ron" Hunter
The Mission: Hunter takes a job as executive officer aboard the USS Alabama under the command of Captain Franklin Ramsey (Gene Hackman), and it quickly becomes clear they have differing personalities and philosophies of leadership. When the sub comes under fire amidst political turmoil in Russia, both men find themselves opposed to one another as a struggle for command and an understanding of their orders nearly leads the world to nuclear armageddon.
Why It Always Hits: Crimson Tide is an intense thriller that centers around miscommunication and two commanders's film belief that what they're doing is right. What makes the story so compelling is that both men are right, from different perspectives, so the audience may naturally feel split. The crew feels the same, as mutiny erupts, threatening the safety of the entire world in an action movie that's somehow expansive and tightly contained at the same time.
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- 459 VOTES
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Who He Plays: Eli, a drifter walking the roads of post-apocalyptic America
The Mission: Eli has only one goal in mind as he traverses the barren landscape: to protect the sacred book he holds, which he believes holds the secret to saving humanity from annihilation. Along his journey, Eli engages with some unsavory characters, but fortunately, he's more than capable of defending himself as he brings shocking strength and courage to one fight after another.
Why It Always Hits: Not only does The Book of Eli feature Denzel Washington in the lead, but he's joined by the immeasurable talents of Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, and Gary Oldman. They come together to deliver a compelling story with great scope, making The Book of Eli one of those rare films that leaves a lasting impression on popular culture. The film features high-intensity action sequences with perfectly choreographed fights, thanks to industry veteran Jeff Imada (who worked as a fight coordinator for much of the Jason Bourne franchise).
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- 555 VOTES
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Who He Plays: Veteran railroad engineer Frank Barnes
The Mission: After a massive, unmanned freight train runs uncontrolled toward a city, Barnes and a young conductor (Chris Pine) must race against the clock to stop the half-mile-long, 39-car machine. The danger is heightened by the fact that several of the train's cars are carrying a toxic, highly flammable chemical. The heroes attempt several difficult and dangerous techniques to stop or divert the train before it barrels into a populous Pennsylvania town.
Why It Always Hits: Unstoppable is a high-intensity thriller that takes a form of transportation many people take for granted - a train - and turns it into an unstoppable killing machine capable of unimaginable destructive power. Washington's Barnes is put into a desperate situation, but his skills and demeanor offer a glimmer of hope to the audience as the action intensifies with every mile the runaway train gains. Reviews were widely favorable, with the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus calling the film “As fast, loud, and relentless as the train at the center of the story.”
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- 640 VOTES
Who He Plays: ATF Special Agent Doug Carlin
The Mission: In Déjà Vu, Carlin investigates a ferry bombing in New Orleans, Louisiana, and he's got some interesting tools at his disposal. Carlin is aided by the FBI's experimental top-secret tech to find the bomber, but it's not your usual investigative tool - it can bend the very fabric of time, making it possible to observe everything that happened four days and six hours in the past. He takes bold risks with the technology not only to learn the perpetrator's identity, but also, perhaps, attempt to change the past.
Why It Always Hits: Washington isn't primarily known for working in science fiction, but when he takes on an action/sci-fi project like this, it's usually cinematic gold. The film's premise offers a feeling of dread that only increases as it creeps towards the climax. The action intensifies as the stakes increase, and while it requires some suspension of disbelief regarding the time travel, Washington's acting helps smooth over any possible doubts.
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Who He Plays: US Marshal warrant officer Sam Chisholm
The Mission: The Magnificent Seven focuses on seven gunmen who are brought together to help a vengeful widow protect her town from a violent army unleashed by an industrialist. Despite their differing backgrounds and general inability to work with one another, the gunmen come together to protect the innocent, leading to a massive confrontation and a lot of spilled blood.
Why It Always Hits: The Magnificent Seven is widely regarded as one of the greatest Westerns ever made, and it's been remade multiple times over the years. Of course, the original 1960 film is an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic The Seven Samurai, but the 2016 remake is also a fantastic film in its own right. The film features an all-star cast, including Denzel Washington, joined by Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, and many more. Though it was something of a box office disappointment, the film is a perfect choice for those who love Washington and Westerns.
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- 833 VOTES
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Who He Plays: Tobin Frost, a former CIA NOC operative turned international criminal
The Mission: While holed up in a CIA safe house in South Africa, Frost falls under the care of CIA officer Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). After they're attacked and forced to flee the safe house, Weston must remain close to Frost. Frost turns out to be vital to Weston's survival with the attackers still after them, but also clearly looking for a way to secure his own freedom, making it unclear whom Weston should trust.
Why It Always Hits: Safe House isn't Washington's greatest action movie, but it's also not his worst. The film's script is lacking in several areas, but its leads manage to form a compelling on-screen chemistry that helps propel the plot. Washington is excellent as an alleged traitor to the CIA, and Reynolds brings his charm to a relatively toned-down action flick (compared to something like Deadpool). Frost is a calculating and lethal operator who regularly tears through anyone who gets in his way, and it's always entertaining to see Washington bring out that hard-edged side.
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- 943 VOTES
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Who He Plays: Assistant District Attorney Nick Styles
The Mission: Styles finds his life awash in terror after a criminal he put away while working as a cop escapes from prison with a thirst for vengeance. Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow) will stop at nothing to make Styles suffer, leaving the ADA in a desperate struggle to stop Blake before he torches everything he holds dear.
Why It Always Hits: While Washington turns in an excellent performance in Ricochet, Lithgow's performance is also amazing and inimitable, shedding his generally amiable demeanor for psychopathy as he plays a genuinely frightening villain. Upon release, Ricochet failed to woo critics, but it has since been reevaluated somewhat, carrying a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's well worth checking out for fans of Washington's acting, especially to get a look at his earlier work.
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- 1027 VOTES
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Who He Plays: DEA Special Agent Robert "Bobby" Trench
The Mission: Bobby Trench and Michael "Stig" Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) are two hard-charging criminals working together to meet with Manny "Papi" Greco (Edward James Olmos), a Mexican cartel leader. The one catch is that both of them are undercover law enforcement officers - Bobby with the DEA, Stig with Navy Intelligence - who are unaware of each other's true identities. While both attempt to complete their respective missions, the ensuing complications deliver plenty of action and plenty of laughs.
Why It Always Hits: 2 Guns is one of those action movies that came and went without much fanfare, which is strange considering its all-star cast. Regardless, the film manages to mix genres by throwing a buddy cop relationship into a crime flick, and Wahlberg and Washington both deliver great work. The leads carry this action-comedy across the finish line with style.
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- 1130 VOTES
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Who Denzel Plays: Parker Barnes, a former police officer now in prison for killing a man who attacked his family
The Mission: Virtual reality has developed into an effective simulator and teaching tool, so a serial killer was created from the personalities of real killers to help train law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, the simulation escapes into the real world; Barnes is offered his freedom from prison if he hunts down and stop SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe) from slaughtering everyone who crosses his path.
Why It Always Hits: The fear that new technology will bring danger has been a staple of science fiction for years, but Virtuosity takes it a step further by inserting a more personal edge to the thrilling nature of its story. Crowe plays bad brilliantly in this film, and Washington's character's struggle to stop him is akin to taking down dozens of serial killers trapped inside a single body - because that's effectively what SID 6.7 is. Virtuosity received mixed reviews, but seeing these two cinematic greats go up against one another is worth the occasional unevenness of the plot.
- 1253 VOTES
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Who He Plays: Robert McCall, a Marine-turned-vigilante
The Mission: McCall finds himself once more embroiled in a fight for justice, but this time, he's not taking up the cause for a young woman he's just met, but rather setting out to avenge his friend and former DIA colleague, Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo). McCall is already an unstoppable killing machine, but his second theatrical outing has him taking the gloves off as he takes the fight to the bad guys.
Why It Always Hits: While the second film in Washington's The Equalizer series isn't as lauded as its predecessor, it remains an excellent action flick with a lot to love. Even where the plot falters occasionally, The Equalizer 2 excels in its depiction of McCall tearing through crooks with an exceptional level of righteous fury, which makes for thrilling fight scenes.
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- 1333 VOTES
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Who He Plays: FBI Assistant Special Agent Anthony “Hub” Hubbard
The Mission: When the United States secretly abducts one of the world's most dangerous terrorist leaders, a subsequent attack on New York City results in a declaration of martial law. While the entirety of Brooklyn is sealed off to try to prevent the perpetrators from escaping, Hubbard must work alongside CIA operative Sharon Bridger (Annette Bening) in a desperate effort to stop an unknown terrorist from carrying out a devastating attack.
Why It Always Hits: The Siege came out in 1998, but it was remarkably prescient about how an attack on New York City might play out. Granted, reality didn't result in martial law, but in hindsight, many elements of The Siege are similar to US response after 9/11, including the controversies that arise over the use of torture against suspected terrorists. Though the movie fell by the wayside when it was released, it's worth a watch for its intense action sequences set amidst an overbearing sense of dread as everything intensifies toward the inevitably violent ending.
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Who He Plays: MTA subway dispatcher Walter Garber
The Mission: After a group of armed men hijack a New York City subway train, Garber must take on the role of hostage negotiator. What starts as a typical day on the job turns into an action-packed race to save countless lives while communicating with Ryder (John Travolta), the leader of the hostage takers.
Why It Always Hits: Putting Washington and Travolta in this remake of the 1974 classic was a brilliant move, as they play off of one another with the expertise one expects from two veteran actors. Unfortunately, the public didn't turn out in droves to see them go up against one another, as the film underperformed at the box office. Despite this, it remains an excellent demonstration of Washington's action chops.
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- 1553 VOTES
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Who He Plays: Robert McCall, a Marine-turned-vigilante
The Mission: The third film in The Equalizer franchise starts with McCall on a mission at a winery in Sicily, which turns into a much bigger fight as he becomes aware that the friendly locals are are under the thumb of Camorra gangsters. Naturally, McCall takes it upon himself to do what he does best, taking the criminals out one by one to help the innocent people who have been trapped and harmed by their violence and corruption.
Why It Always Hits: The Equalizer 3 manages to close out the story of Robert McCall excellently, and while it's unfortunate that Washington won't return in a potential sequel, he doesn't need to. This film is a great send-off, taking the action to a new setting, and allowing Washington to show his incredible chops playing this character one last time.
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