Top 10 Denzel Washington Movies Ever till 2022

Denzel Washington is undoubtedly one of the greatest American actors in the Hollywood industry. Washington has been a favorite for many since leaping from St. Elsewhere to the big screen in the mid-’80s once he started directing himself after boasting successful collaborations with various filmmakers like Spike Lee, Norman Jewison, Tony, and Ridley Scott. Washington is a one-of-a-kind in the film industry with two Oscars! Apart from this, his career is in full swing, with credits to his persistent directorial efforts and his most recent, The Tragedy of Macbeth, which sees him return to film Shakespeare after 1993’s Much Ado About Nothing.

1. Malcolm X

Year: 1992
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 201 minutes

The other pinnacle of Lee’s career is his work on the biopic of the ’60s activist, apart from the Masterpiece that Does The Right Thing is. With a fiery charisma pulsing under a collected exterior, Denzel Washington’s towering performance is at the crux of the film. Lee aims at demythologizing a modern legend who is not afraid to plumb into the depths of the weaknesses of the man— personal and ideological. One of the high points in the movie comes with the reminiscent use of A Change is Gonna Come by Otis Redding; which is an appeal for civil rights and is set in opposition to Malcolm X’s assassination.

2. Training Day

Year: 2001
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Cliff Curtis, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eva Mendes
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes

One of Denzel Washington's darkest roles, which is undoubtedly also one of his best roles -  is Alonzo Harris, who is an LAPD narcotics officer. It would be an underestimation to call the man "corrupt". He’s a fierce man of Machievallian origin and is also a fascinating character. The blend becomes too combustible when Harris takes Jake Hoyt under his wing. The best scenes of the film include the parts where Jake has to respond to certain conditions that he undoubtedly is not prepared for!

3. Antwone Fisher

Year: 2015
Director: Denzel Washington
Stars: Denzel Washington, Derek Luke, Joy Bryant
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 120 minutes

A wonderfully made but oft-overlooked film, Antwone Fisher, an edition of Fisher’s haunting record, was a grave story frequently full of more evils than triumphs. It shows how Fischer was affected when he was raised in a foster home in Cleveland that was highly abusive. This is proceeded by a fussy dream scene, which takes the viewers through some epic scenes. The first few moments of the film show Fischer having this recurring dream where he is being greeted by his entire family - including people of his family he has never met, and also the ones who have deserted him.

4. Remember The Titans

Year: 2000
Director: Boaz Yakin
Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Donald Faison, Nicole Ari Parker
Rating: PG
Runtime: 120 minutes

This movie revolves around the story of a newly formed high school team, which takes place in Virginia in the year 1971. On one side, there is little Sheryl who is obsessed with football, and on the other side, there's the daughter of Coach Boone, who is equally hesitant about the sport. The movie has a very dramatic ending (No Spoilers assured!) while the rest of the movie shifts between bringing a smile to your face and making you reach out for the tissue box!

5. Mo’ Better Blues

Year: 1990
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, Joie Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Dick Anthony Williams, Cynda Williams
Rating: R
Runtime: 129 minutes

Mo’ Better Blues is one of those movies that was developed around many ideas, that were finally crammed into one single movie. Washington plays the role of Bleek, who is a trumpeter and considers music to be his whole life. He sacrifices his personal life for the sake of music. Simple enough assertion to delve into, yet Lee adds a reasonably predictable love triangle and an overexcited sub-plot about Bleek’s manager (Spike Lee) owing money to gangsters. The jazz sequences are a delight to watch, and the movie can capture a tone that matches well with the music. However, for a simple message, the film is very overcrowded. 

6. The Hurricane

Year: 1999
Director: Norman Jewison
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Hannah, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber, Vicellous Reon Shannon, David Paymer, Dan Hedaya, Harris Yulin, Rod Steiger
Rating: R
Runtime: 146 minutes

The investigation of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's life and custody by Norman Jewison included a lot of social chaos and baggage. By 1999, when the film was made, he had been acquitted after serving almost 20 years in prison, and enormous ongoing protests had been ordered in his name for years. 

7. Déjà Vu

Year: 2006
Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Paula Patton, Bruce Greenwood, Adam Goldberg, Jim Caviezel
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 126 minutes

Déjà Vu is one of the collaborations flanked by Tony Scott and Denzel Washington. However, this might be their best one. In this movie, Washington plays the role of Doug Carlin, who is an ATF agent. Doug has spent his entire career catching criminals after the crime has been done, and often wishes to catch them before they do the deed. The film takes a sci-fi turn when Doug is on a mission to stop a certain bomber, and while doing so, gets caught up with a plan that goes by the name of Snow White. This plan allows people in the present to travel back to the past for a certain period. 

8. A Soldier’s Story

Year: 1984
Director: Norman Jewison
Stars: Howard E. Rollins Jr., Adolph Caesar, Denzel Washington
Rating: PG
Runtime: 101 minutes

A Soldier's Story is a sharply made military mystery that is mired with politics of the racial kind. Actors like Larry Riley, William Allen Young, Adolph Caesar, and Denzel Washington reprised their stage roles, with Caesar earning an Oscar recommendation for his work as a murdered master sergeant (and self-appointed dictator of Blackness), but a young Washington is the glowing heart of the film. Out of a stellar cast standing sharp in mind, Washington’s stiff fury and accusatory eyes offer hints of the same power and pride that would come to define some of his best performances.

9. Crimson Tide

Year: 1995                  
Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, Matt Craven
Rating: R
Runtime: 123 minutes

There is nothing like a good submarine film, and Crimson Tide is just about as good as they come. The movie is directed by Tony Scott and is based on an arms race between post-Soviet Russia and the United States. This worry is emphasized by Hans Zimmer’s Grammy-winning synth score, scenes of conflict between the two leads that are made even tenser because they are on a submarine, literally. 

10. Inside Man

Year: 2006
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Rating: R
Runtime: 129 minutes

No filmmaker has had a more dynamic and fruitful relationship with New York City than Spike Lee with the exceptions of Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Sidney Lumet. This association is on full display in his 2006 crime drama, Inside Man. In one of his best performances to date, Clive Owen stars as a dazzling career criminal who takes over a New York bank.