MRQE Ranks: Denzel Washington's Best to Worst Movies

1

Glory (1989)

Cast: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher

Director: Edward Zwick, Richard Zwick

Synopsis: Glory is a celebration of a little-known act of mass courage during the Civil War. Simply put, the heroes involved have been ignored by history due... [MORE]

2

Malcolm X (1992)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, Albert Hall

Director: Spike Lee

Synopsis: Writer-director Spike Lee's epic portrayal of the life and times of the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X begins with the cross-cut imagery of th... [MORE]

3

Courage Under Fire (1996)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarty, Matt Damon

Director: Edward Zwick

Synopsis: A soldier discovers how elusive the truth can be in this first major film about America's role in the Gulf War. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel ... [MORE]

4

Crimson Tide (1995)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini

Director: Tony Scott

Synopsis: Two leaders with different philosophies about battle and leadership wage war with each other in this tense military thriller. Capt. Frank Ramsey (G... [MORE]

5

Inside Man (2006)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe

Director: Spike Lee

Synopsis: The volatile showdown between a determined cop and a perfectionist bank robber is sent spiraling toward disaster when a scheming power broker steps... [MORE]

6

Philadelphia (1993)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Antonio Banderas, Jason Robards Jr.

Director: Jonathan Demme

7

He Got Game (1998)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper

Director: Spike Lee

Synopsis: Denzel Washington and writer-director Spike Lee team for the third time with this contemporary basketball drama focusing on a promising athlete, th... [MORE]

8

The Hurricane (1999)

Cast: Denzel Washington, John Hannah, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber, Vicellous Reon Shannon

Director: Norman Jewison

Synopsis: In 1966, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a top-ranked middleweight boxer whom many fight fans expected to become world champion. When three people wer... [MORE]

9

The Great Debaters (2007)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, Denzel Whitaker, Jermaine Williams

Director: Denzel Washington

Synopsis: Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small East Texas college into a formidable tea... [MORE]

10

American Gangster (2007)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lymari Nadal

Director: Ridley Scott

Synopsis: Director Ridley Scott spins this yarn concerning a Harlem drug kingpin (Denzel Washington) who smuggles heroin into the country by hiding it in the... [MORE]

11

Remember the Titans (2000)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Adeosun Faison

Director: Boaz Yakin

Synopsis: A high school football coach finds himself fighting for stakes much higher than the State Championship in this drama based on actual events. In 197... [MORE]

12

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Wright

Director: Jonathan Demme

Synopsis: Jonathan Demme directed this updated remake of John Frankenheimer's 1962 cult favorite The Manchurian Candidate, a pioneering examination of politi... [MORE]

13

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle, Maury Chaykin

Director: Carl Franklin

Synopsis: Denzel Washington stars in this adaptation of the novel by African-American crime author Walter Mosley, the first of his stories to reach the scree... [MORE]

14

Antwone Fisher (2002)

Cast: Derek Luke, Denzel Washington, Joy Bryant, Salli Richardson, Earl Billings

Director: Denzel Washington

Synopsis: The directorial debut of Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington, Antwone Fisher is an autobiographical drama written by the real-life Antwon... [MORE]

15

Unstoppable (2010/I)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn

Director: Tony Scott

Synopsis: In this action thriller from director Tony Scott, rookie train operator Will (Chris Pine) and grizzled veteran engineer Frank (Denzel Washington) l... [MORE]

16

Training Day (2001)

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Harris Yulin

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Synopsis: The Fast and the Furious (2001) screenwriter David Ayer follows up that fast-paced action hit with this gritty cop drama from director Antoine Fuqu... [MORE]

17

The Preacher's Wife (1996)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance, Gregory Hines, Justin Pierre Edmund

Director: Penny Marshall

Synopsis: An angel wonders if love can be Heaven on Earth in this family-themed romantic fantasy. Rev. Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) is the pastor of a str... [MORE]

18

The Siege (1998/I)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub, Mark Valley, David Proval, Sami Bouajila

Director: Edward Zwick

Synopsis: In this action thriller, New York City is being plagued by Islamic militant terrorists. When the President declares martial law, neo-fascist Army G... [MORE]

19

Out of Time (2003/I)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain, John Billingsley

Director: Carl Franklin

Synopsis: Director Carl Franklin and actor Denzel Washington team up again (following 1995's Devil in a Blue Dress) for the crime thriller Out of Time. Washi... [MORE]

20

Deja Vu (2006)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Adam Goldberg

Director: Tony Scott

Synopsis: Adrenaline-loving director Tony Scott teams with iconic action producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this high-flung sci-fi action thriller concerning a N... [MORE]

21

Safe House (2012)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Liam Cunningham, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, Vera Farmiga, Fares Fares, Robert Patrick, Nora Arnezeder, Joel Kinnaman, Rubén Blades

Director: Daniel Espinosa

Synopsis: A rookie CIA operative goes on the run with a rogue former intelligence officer after a South African safe house comes under attack by heavily arme... [MORE]

22

Man on Fire (2004)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken

Director: Tony Scott

Synopsis: A man whose ideals have been shattered for the last time is out for violent justice in this thriller. Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a former United... [MORE]

23

The Book of Eli (2010)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals

Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic America where the once-picturesque countryside has become a desolate and violent wasteland, one man (Denzel Washington) fight... [MORE]

24

Fallen (1998)

Cast: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz, James Gandolfini

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Synopsis: Directed by Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear), Fallen is a blend of the police drama and supernatural thriller genres. Homicide detective John Hobbes (D... [MORE]

25

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, John Turturro, Luis Guzman

Director: Tony Scott

Synopsis: A New York City subway dispatcher draws on his extensive knowledge of the subway system in order to outsmart a dangerous criminal mastermind who's ... [MORE]

26

The Pelican Brief (1993)

Cast: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Synopsis: Embroiled in an affair with Thomas Callahan (Sam Shephard), her alcoholic professor, precocious 24-year-old Tulane University law student Darby Sha... [MORE]

27

The Bone Collector (1999)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker, Mike McGlone

Director: Phillip Noyce

Synopsis: Filmed on location in Montreal and New York, The Bone Collector is a suspense thriller that combines Rear Window and Seven. Two cops on the trail o... [MORE]

28

John Q (2002)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche, Eddie Griffin

Director: Nick Cassavetes

Synopsis: A national health care crisis in the United States yields this tense drama from screenwriter James Kearns and director Nick Cassavetes, who experie... [MORE]

29

Virtuosity (1995)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Kelly Lynch, Russell Crowe, Stephen Spinella, William Forsythe

Director: Brett Leonard

Synopsis: In a futuristic, high-tech world run by huge corporations, Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington) is an L.A. policeman serving time for killing the psyc... [MORE]