10 Best Denzel Washington Movies, Ranked

Denzel Washington is one of the defining leading men of the last three decades, having turned in towering performances on both stage and screen. He first came to attention on the NBC hospital drama St. Elsewhere in the ’80s, before gaining critical acclaim for roles in Glory and Cry Freedom. Stardom followed from the ’90s onward, including a string of blockbuster action movies. At age 69, he’s still an action hero, with 2023’s The Equalizer 3 raking in big box office returns.

Washington has impressively avoided being typecast and continues to appear in a diversity of projects. He clearly has a knack for choosing the right projects, and turning down those that aren’t a good fit. “My career is based on saying no,” he has said. With at least 60 movies under his belt and ten Oscar nominations to his name, Washington is a true Hollywood juggernaut. Here are his ten best movies, ranked.

10 ‘Cry Freedom’ (1987)

Director: Richard Attenborough

“You can beat or jail me or even kill me, but I am not going to be what you want me to be!” Cry Freedom is a character study of South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko (Washington) and his friend, journalist Donald Woods (Kevin Kline). Although initially skeptical of one another, the two men form a close bond. After Biko is killed by government security forces, Woods sets out to expose the truth. Consequently, Biko’s death drew global attention, turning him into a resistance icon.

This was an early role that pushed Washington outside his comfort zone and showed what he was capable of. Here, he faces the challenge of putting on a foreign accent and embodying a person from a very different culture. He more than rises to the occasion, as does Kline. Their performances are clear highlights. The film itself is a real epic, dragging at times but telling a vital story, especially for the time it was released.

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9 ‘The Equalizer’ (2014)

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

“I don’t have a lot of time. Which means you don’t have any.” Reinventing the 1980s TV series, The Equalizer centers on Robert McCall (Washington), a former black ops agent now leading a quiet life. However, when he witnesses the brutal beating of a sex worker named Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz) at the hands of Russian gangsters, McCall’s sense of justice is reignited. Dusting off his formidable skills, he resolves to confront the criminals, drawing the ire of the entire mob in the process.

In many ways, The Equalizer is simply a generic action flick, with two-dimensional villains and a mostly-predictable plot. What sets it apart is Washington’s charisma. The script doesn’t give him all that much to work with, but he succeeds in making McCall feel real and compelling. In particular, he imbues the character with intelligence, courage, and flinty determination. No surprise then that The Equalizer resonated with audiences: it grossed a whopping $192m and spawned two sequels in quick succession.

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8 ‘Remember the Titans’ (2000)

Directed by Boaz Yakin

“If you survive camp, you will be on the team. If you survive.” Alexandria, Virginia, 1971: coach Herman Boone (Washington) is appointed as the head coach of the newly integrated T.C. Williams High School football team, much to the dismay of the white former head coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton). As tensions run high in the community, Coach Boone faces the daunting task of forging his players into a cohesive team.

The character of Boone is a good fit for Washington. The scenes of him putting the players through the ringer of his intense training are especially memorable. As Entertainment Weeklymemorably quipped: “He gets to play Martin Luther King Jr. and Vince Lombardi rolled into one.” Overall, Remember the Titans mostly sticks to feel-good sports movie formulas, but it benefits from being based on a true story and featuring several great performances and many terrific lines. The result is a heartwarming tale that will likely continue to delight viewers for many years to come. Though flawed, it ranks among the finest football films ever made.

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7 ‘Inside Man’ (2006)

Directed by Spike Lee

“When there’s blood on the streets, somebody’s gotta go to jail.” Master thief Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) leads a team of skilled criminals in executing a seemingly flawless heist at a Manhattan bank. However, things take an unexpected turn when Detective Keith Frazier (Washington), is called in to negotiate with Russell and resolve the tense standoff. As Frazier delves deeper into the situation, he realizes that there is more to the robbery than meets the eye.

Inside Man was the fourth collaboration between Washington and Spike Lee and their most commercially successful, becoming the director’s highest-grossing movie. The film’s appeal is obvious. It’s a smart genre movie that serves up a steady stream of thrills alongside implicit social commentary. It’s also stylish. Lee gets a little experimental at times, most notably with a scene that’s intercut with shots from a child’s uber-violent video game. As always, much rides on Washington. Intriguingly, he has said that he took inspiration for Frazier from his Broadway performance of Julius Caesar. “I kind of thought of Frazier as Brutus goes to Brooklyn,” he explains.

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6 ‘Philadelphia’ (1993)

Directed by Jonathan Demme

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: forget everything you’ve seen on television and in the movies.” Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), a successful lawyer, is unjustly fired from his prestigious law firm after his employers discover he is gay and has AIDS. Determined to seek justice, Andrew hires Joe Miller (Washington), a reluctant and initially close-minded attorney, to represent him in a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Hanks won his first Oscar for the role, but Washington’s performance is also worthy of praise. He turns what could have been a stock character into a surprisingly layered figure. Miller grapples with his own struggles and changes considerably over the course of the film. He shines, especially, when Jonathan Demme shoots him in intimate close-up, conveying so much with just subtle expressions. At times, Philadelphia may seem a little heavy-handed, particularly when watching it now. But the film is undeniably warmhearted, and it was ahead of its time in engaging with this subject matter.

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5 ‘Man on Fire’ (2004)

Directed by Tony Scott

“It’s off to the next life for you. I guarantee you, you won’t be lonely.” Washington once more embodies the spirit of righteous vengeance in this incendiary action thriller. He plays John Creasy, a former CIA operative who becomes a bodyguard for the young Lupita Ramos (Dakota Fanning). Initially distant and disillusioned, Creasy forms a surprisingly strong bond with the girl. When she is kidnapped, Creasey sets out to raise hell.

Man on Fire is gritty exploitation cinema with a big budget. The violence is hard-hitting, amplified by dynamic editing and unconventional camerawork. Washington and director Tony Scott worked together five times, resulting in gems like Crimson Tide and Unstoppable, but this is their best project. Indeed, Quentin Tarantinodeclared the pair to be “one of the best actor-director combinations of our time”. Scott, in particular, clearly had a soft spot for the source material, as he had been trying to direct the movie since the early ’80s.

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4 ‘Malcolm X’ (1992)

Directed by Spike Lee

“We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Rock landed on us!” Once again, Washington takes on the role of a civil rights leader, this time playing Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X. The film charts his entire life, from his troubled youth to his rise to prominence as a firebrand fighter for justice. It’s a truly sweeping biopic, spanning the 1930s to the ’60s, and clocking in at some three hours and twenty minutes.

Washington’s performance here is arguably the high point of his career. Malcolm X was an influential and controversial figure, more of a symbol than a real person in the eyes of many. Playing such a role well is no easy feat. But Washington succeeds in humanizing this legendary activist, leaning into all his complexity and contradiction. The film remains a great entry point for anyone curious to learn more about Malcolm X’s life. Interesting bit of trivia: Malcolm X is the sole acting credit of Nelson Mandela, who has a cameo at the end as a Soweto school teacher.

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3 ‘Glory’ (1989)

Directed by Edward Zwick

“I ran away when I was 12 years old and I ain’t never looked back.” This historical drama tells the true story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first all-Black regiments in the Union Army during the Civil War. They display unwavering courage, despite facing danger from the enemy and prejudice from many of their brothers-in-arms.

Washington won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Private Trip, a young officer who looks out for his regiment. He gets many of the film’s most stirring moments, like the climactic scene where he finally raises the American flag. The end product is a unique and moving Civil War film that engages with a thicket of thorny questions. Most of all, it’s fascinating watching the Black soldiers wrestle with their allegiance to a country that does not yet treat them as equals. The entire conflict takes on a different light when seen through their eyes.

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2 ‘American Gangster’ (2007)

Directed by Ridley Scott

“The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.” Ridley Scott‘s gritty crime drama revolves around Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas (Washington) and Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), the detective determined to bring him down. It’s a premise that’s been done many times before, but American Gangster stands out thanks to a more sophisticated, character-driven screenplay by Steven Zaillian.

Scott builds on the script’s solid foundation costume and production design, as well as an energetic soundtrack featuring 1970s R&B soul classics. On the acting side, Washington clearly enjoys this corrupted character, exuding confidence and menace in equal measure. He prepared for the role by meeting with the real Lucas and extensively practicing his Southern accent. He’s so charismatic in the part that some critics accused the film of glorifying and romanticizing the criminal. Regardless of where one stands on that issue, there’s no denying Washington’s electrifying performance. He makes Lucas a memorable crime boss on the level of Tony Montana or Tony Soprano.

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1 ‘Training Day’ (2001)

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

“To protect the sheep, you gotta catch the wolf, and it takes a wolf to catch a wolf.” Training Day follows rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), as he embarks on his first day under the tutelage of seasoned narcotics officer Alonzo Harris (Washington). What begins as an opportunity for Jake to prove himself quickly turns into a harrowing journey of corruption and moral ambiguity. Alonzo’s unorthodox methods push Jake to his limits as they navigate the dangerous streets of South Central LA.

Washington is at his most intense and kinetic here, firing on all cylinders. Harris is the darkest character in his filmography, willing to commit evil acts in pursuit of criminals. Washington is known for playing heroes and decent men, but here he brilliantly subverts this image, akin to what Heath Ledger did in The Dark Knight. It makes for a fascinating contrast and a great demonstration of his range. As a result, the role won him the Best Actor Oscar.

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