The 18 Greatest Denzel Washington Movies

Steely cops and street kings, soldiers and lawyers, hushed dramas and full-throttle thrillers, this spread captures every side of one of cinema's most commanding leading men. Which one wins?

1. 1
   Training Day

   The 2001 crime thriller that won Washington the Academy Award for Best Actor as corrupt narcotics detective Alonzo Harris.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Malcolm X

   Spike Lee's sweeping 1992 biopic featuring Washington's Oscar-nominated portrayal of the civil rights leader.
   885pts
3. 3
   Glory

   The 1989 Civil War drama that earned Washington his first Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor.
   680pts
4. 4
   Crimson Tide

   The 1995 submarine thriller pitting Washington's officer against Gene Hackman's captain.
   624pts
5. 5
   Déjà Vu

   Tony Scott's 2006 sci-fi thriller with Washington as an agent using time-bending technology to stop an attack.
   560pts
6. 6
   Inside Man

   Spike Lee's 2006 heist thriller with Washington as a detective negotiating a tense bank standoff.
   485pts
7. 7
   American Gangster

   Ridley Scott's 2007 crime epic starring Washington as real-life Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas.
   485pts
8. 8
   The Hurricane

   The 1999 biopic of wrongly imprisoned boxer Rubin Carter that earned Washington an Oscar nomination.
   397pts
9. 9
   Philadelphia

   The landmark 1993 drama in which Washington plays a lawyer defending a man with AIDS.
   397pts
10. 10
    The Equalizer

    The 2014 action thriller in which Washington plays a retired operative dispensing lethal justice.
    397pts
11. 11
    Roman J. Israel, Esq.

    The 2017 legal drama that earned Washington an Oscar nomination as an idealistic activist lawyer.
    397pts
12. 12
    Remember the Titans

    The uplifting 2000 sports drama in which Washington coaches a newly integrated high school football team.
    291pts
13. 13
    The Great Debaters

    Washington directed and starred in this 2007 drama about a 1930s college debate team.
    291pts
14. 14
    Man on Fire

    Tony Scott's 2004 revenge thriller with Washington as a bodyguard avenging a kidnapped girl in Mexico City.
    291pts
15. 15
    The Book of Eli

    A 2010 post-apocalyptic action film with Washington guarding a sacred book across a ruined America.
    0pts
16. 16
    Courage Under Fire

    A 1996 war drama with Washington investigating a fallen officer's posthumous medal.
    0pts
17. 17
    Fences

    Washington directed and starred in this 2016 adaptation of August Wilson's play, earning an Oscar nomination.
    0pts
18. 18
    Flight

    The 2012 drama featuring Washington's Oscar-nominated turn as an airline pilot battling addiction.
    0pts

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