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Of all A-list stars, Denzel Washingtons career may be the most enviable.
Happily, Washingtons career has not worked that way.
But which performance is his best?
Here are all of Denzel Washingtons movie roles, ranked.
This is as groaning a comedy as it sounds.
(He made two Spike Lee movies in the next years.)
The movie is a message movie about Our Health Care Crisis, and its as subtle as a defibrillator.
These sorts of movies never dates well, but this one is particularly moldy.
Theres a non-terrible idea here, but its buried.
It was supposed to set off a series of films about this detective team.
41.The Magnificent Seven(2016)
…
In which director Antoine Fuqua does the seemingly impossible and makes Washington seem kinda boring onscreen.
This is even more troubling ina sluggish remake that has a tough time justifying its existencein the first place.
You cant nerd up Denzel just by giving him glasses.
And yes: He nails the accent.
Still, its nobodys favorite Denzel movie, and you might be forgiven for forgetting it ever existed.
It has its moments, but cant hold up toFishers power.
They cant hope to match his effortless, lived-in swagger.
Charismatic and coolly intelligent, Gray was a perfect early platform for Washingtons leading-man chops.
Soon, hed be anchoring every film in which he appeared.
Few actors make self-torture feel like a kind of heroism.
But give it another glance.
26.Remember the Titans(2000)
Heres Denzel in crowd-pleaser mode.
If you were on his team, youd be willing to run through a brick wall for the guy.
Still, Denzels speech resonates almost two decades later.
Its also a lot rawer at points, thanks largely to Lukes powerful performance and Washingtons unflinching direction.
This is a much stronger film than you remember.
At their best, the actors can have a little fun while stealing the show.
But at their worst, these turns can simply be self-indulgent and self-regarding.
Washington is mostly the former inGladiator II,a so-so sequelthat would be far poorer without him in it.
The Oscar winner hasnt been this bold and brash sinceTraining Day.
What a simple premise and look how Washington makes it sing.
This Harlem gangster operates by a strict moral code dont they all?
but the ferocity of Washingtons portrayal is enhanced by the characters racial resentment.
18.Roman J. Israel, Esq.
The movies failings aside, Washington kills the accent and hits his big courtroom speech out of the park.
Plus, he gets a killer of a final scene (above).
Its an emotional turn that Washington elevates with his decency, allowing you to feel Carters outage and helplessness.
Seriously, watch him play the piano above.
Heres where the actor demonstrated that he was among the most commanding presences onscreen a star in the making.
10.Flight(2012)
WhenFlighthit theaters, Washington had mostly put aside challenging roles for punch-the-clock thrillers.
But this Robert Zemeckis drama reminded viewers that Washington could still deliver layered performances.
Unsurprisingly, then, his Macbeth (while perhaps not definitive) is very much him.
The movie is unfairly forgotten now, but it deserves another look.
Washington has played monsters before, but never one who seemed quite so achingly human.
He should really play more bad guys.
And believe us, you dont want to go back andsee who beat him for Best Actor that year.
