Top 30 Denzel Washington films
He's done so many great films over the years, and I've seen ALL of them. Here's my list of top 30 Denzel films, with my ranking based on: a) is it my favorite?, b) was it valuable to watch?, and c) how well did Denzel play in it?
Like most people know, he's a master at creating a character and somehow turning a mediocre film into a great one. Not to mention his versatility as an actor, his ability to deliver intense performances or his ability to wholeheartedly live into the character he portrays, making the performance and the film as a whole uniquely realistic, dignified and worth watching.
What can I say... he's the best!
Like most people know, he's a master at creating a character and somehow turning a mediocre film into a great one. Not to mention his versatility as an actor, his ability to deliver intense performances or his ability to wholeheartedly live into the character he portrays, making the performance and the film as a whole uniquely realistic, dignified and worth watching.
What can I say... he's the best!
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30 titles
- DirectorTony ScottStarsGene HackmanDenzel WashingtonMatt CravenOn a U.S. nuclear missile sub, a young First Officer stages a mutiny to prevent his trigger happy Captain from launching his missiles before confirming his orders to do so.I used to watch this movie over and over and it made a huge impact on me every time. Denzel and especially Gene Hackman deliver a masterclass in acting, in what is an intense, well-crafted thriller. The music is also great, and this marks Denzel's first collaboration with director Tony Scott.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsDenzel WashingtonKevin KlineJosette SimonSouth African journalist Donald Woods is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend, the Black anti-Apartheid activist Steve Biko.Like many of Denzel's movies, this is one that every person should see. It tells the story of Steve Biko's struggle against apartheid, and his white friend, played by a brilliant Kevin Kline. It's a movie about struggle, justice, tolerance, non-violence, and is imo the first great performance by Denzel.
- DirectorNick CassavetesStarsDenzel WashingtonRobert DuvallGabriela OlteanJohn Quincy Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won't cover his son's heart transplant.This is such a touching and important movie. It deals with the harsh realities of the American health care system, in which Denzel's character is denied treatment for his son's heart operation and this forces him to go to extreme measures. Denzel is brilliant in this role, and helps raise some important moral questions concerning healthcare, empathy and justice. What would you do if you were in his shoes?
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsTom HanksDenzel WashingtonRoberta MaxwellWhen a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic-small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.Another masterpiece, in which the lead character, played by Tom Hanks, falls ill with AIDS and seeks help from a lawyer to sue the firm in which he was fired from. Although Hanks is fantastic in his role, it is imo Denzel who with his acting makes this movie the great masterpiece that it is. It's one of those movies that everyone should see, and also brilliantly deals with the subject of homosexuality.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsDenzel WashingtonVicellous ShannonDeborah Kara UngerThe story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.Needless to say, this is one of Denzel's best performances ever. He portrays Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a successful boxer, who is sentenced to 20 years in jail for something he didn't do. Although the story is important and the movie raises important questions, it is again Denzel's performance which makes this movie unforgettable. He literally transforms himself physically, mentally and spiritually, and it's worth noting that he trained boxing for over a year to prepare himself for the role.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsDenzel WashingtonChristopher WalkenDakota FanningIn Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonEthan HawkeScott GlennA rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
- DirectorCarl FranklinStarsDenzel WashingtonSanaa LathanEva MendesA Florida police chief must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonClive OwenJodie FosterA police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.
- DirectorBoaz YakinStarsDenzel WashingtonWill PattonWood HarrisIn 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonMilla JovovichRay AllenA basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsDenzel WashingtonLiev SchreiberMeryl StreepIn the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsDenzel WashingtonPaula PattonJim CaviezelAfter a ferry is bombed in New Orleans, an A.T.F. agent joins a unique investigation using experimental surveillance technology to find the bomber, but soon finds himself becoming obsessed with one of the victims.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonAngela BassettDelroy LindoBiographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.
- DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonDerek LukeJoy BryantAntwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsDenzel WashingtonMeg RyanLou Diamond PhillipsA U.S. Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonSpike LeeWesley SnipesJazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam makes questionable decisions in his professional and romantic lives.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsDenzel WashingtonNadine VelazquezDon CheadleTroubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsJulia RobertsDenzel WashingtonSam ShepardA law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.
- DirectorCarl FranklinStarsDenzel WashingtonTom SizemoreJennifer BealsA Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsDenzel WashingtonAngelina JolieQueen LatifahA quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsDenzel WashingtonBruce WillisAnnette BeningThe secret U.S. abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York City, which leads to the declaration of martial-law.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsDenzel WashingtonWhitney HoustonCourtney B. VanceAn angel comes to Earth to help a preacher save his church and his family.
- DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonViola DavisStephen McKinley HendersonA working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsDenzel WashingtonJohn TravoltaLuis GuzmánArmed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
- DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonForest WhitakerKimberly EliseA drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsDenzel WashingtonColin FarrellCarmen EjogoRoman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsDenzel WashingtonRussell CroweChiwetel EjioforAn outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, whose real life inspired this partly biographical film.
- DirectorBaltasar KormákurStarsDenzel WashingtonMark WahlbergPaula PattonTwo hardened criminals get into trouble with the US border patrol after meeting with a Mexican drug lord, and then revelations start to unfold.