Lock Yourself In Weekend: Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington brings passion, energy and total commitment to every character he plays. He has the rare gift of becoming so absorbed in the role that you forget that he’s playing a part in a film. Denzel also brings out the essence of a role with such clarity, that even when you’re not supposed to like the character, you can certainly relate to where he’s coming from. He’s up for another Oscar this year for his performance in Flight, and there is no doubt he is one of our great actors. If you aren’t up to speed on his best works, you could use your own Denzel Washington film festival. Buy, rent or borrow these ten great films, cook up some hot fresh popcorn, and clear out your weekend. You can grab some of these on Netflix Instant right now, also check out instant rentals at Amazon.com, or iTunes or Hulu.
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1. A Soldier’s Story
Acclaimed director Norman Jewison’s adaptation of the Charlie Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize winning play already had two outstanding veteran actors leading the cast: Howard Rollins, Jr. and Adolph Cesear. But Denzel stands out as PFC Peterson, a soldier who is bitter and angry not only from the open racism he has to deal with in the still segregated Army circa World War II, but also the divide between light-skinned and dark skinned blacks. Its a small, but crucial role that gives you a glimpse at the great work that lay ahead.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnfJoqHA8Ro]* * *
2. Cry Freedom
Washington received his first Academy Award nomination for his role as slain civil rights activist Steve Biko in this acclaimed 1987 drama. Denzel not only nails the South African dialect, he captures the power and the passion of the man who sought to rally his people – and a nation – for the cause of freedom. It’s a film that’s not often spoken about in the Denzel canon but should be: It’s the first many masterful performances.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq4VjE0_AVQ]* * *
3. Glory
After showing us glimpses of his talent with stellar supporting roles in A Soldier’s Story and Cry Freedom (for which he received his first Oscar nomination), Washington is downright explosive as Trip, the escaped slave who joins the first all-black regimen, The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry at the height of The Civil War. He’s incredible throughout the film, but his best scene – and the film’s most powerful – involves no words at all. After a failed attempt at going AWOL, Trip is flogged in front of the regimen. Washington’s facial expression as he’s being beaten says it all – defiance, anger, rage, and finally, with a single tear, sadness. Its now wonder that he won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The next great actor of his generation had arrived.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPz_1UCoQuo]* * *
4. Mo Better Blues
Marking his first collaboration with Spike Lee, Washington is in fine form as Bleek Gilliam, a talented, but self-absorbed trumpeter trying to maintain his career, his band, a manager with a gambling problem and two girlfriends. On spec, you’re not supposed to care about the character, but Washington goes deep to find Bleek’s dedication to the art and ultimately, his humanity to the point where you find yourself rooting for him. It’s one of Lee’s most underrated films and it features an exceptional performance from Denzel.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAYctUsYjqc]* * *
5. Malcolm X
Washington received his 3rd Oscar nomination for playing the title role in Spike Lee’s 1992 epic biopic. Denzel makes it look easy as he goes through all of his various incarnations: criminal, addict, convict, convert, teacher, minister and human rights activist. He captures your imagination from first scene to his final frame. Washington isn’t playing Malcolm X, he becomes Malcolm in gestures, speech and spirit. How Washington didn’t win the Best Actor Oscar is one of the biggest snubs in the history of the award. It’s a tour de force performance.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rfaiu8DbRs]* * *
6. Philadelphia
In the first Hollywood film release to deal with AIDS (and the first to mark a shift on how the LGBT community was depicted on film), Washington’s performance as lawyer Joe Miller is as powerful as the performance that gave Tom Hanks his 2nd consecutive Oscar. Whereas the Andrew Beckett character’s transformation is physical, Miller’s is more spiritual as he goes from an unapologetic homophobe, to Beckett’s staunchest supporter, and finally, Beckett’s closest friend. It’s a tough tightrope to walk and Denzel pulls it flawlessly.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l433n5zAxAU]* * *
7. Devil In A Blue Dress
Washington gives one of his more understated and underrated performances as recently unemployed Easy Rawlins, who, despite no experience, becomes a private investigator. As it did with Glory, there are moments where Washington uses his facial expressions to convey his shock and disbelief at what he discovers in The City Of Angels. It also marks the first time Denzel is paired with Don Cheadle and they light up the screen together. Why there was never any sequels (the movie is based on a series of novels by Walter Mosely) is beyond comprehension. A sly urban update of the classic film noir films of the 40s and 50s, Devil In A Blue Dress is a forgotten gem worth discovering.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E05NNhFo2Ec]* * *
8. The Hurricane
Denzel is reunited with director Norman Jewison to tell the story of Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, a highly touted middleweight who ends up spending nearly 20 years for a triple murder that he did not commit. Washington spent several months in the gym training to give the boxing scenes more authenticity and it shows. But as he did with Malcolm X, Denzel deftly shows Carter’s inner transformation from a person seething with rage and mistrust, to one filled with love and compassion. The Hurricane showcases Denzel Washington at the peak of his acting powers.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTzvLMUfwB8]* * *
9. Training Day
After years of playing honorable men placed in dishonorable situations, Denzel gets to play a straight up bad guy in this 2001 crime drama. Washington plays Alonzo Harris, a highly decorated LAPD narcotics officer who has to evaluate fellow officer Jake Hoyt, played by Ethan Hawke. Throughout the course of the day, Hoyt realizes that Harris breaks as many laws as he’s sworn to uphold and is in way over his head with the Russian mob. Washington is clearly having a blast as Harris, playing fast and loose with the law, spending some quality time with his mistress and their son and finally going over the line to settle his debts with the Russians. You’re supposed to hate Alonzo and everything he represents, but Washington finds enough soul in the character to make you wish he can pull off his latest and greatest scam. Oscar voters felt the same way: Denzel Washington became the first Black actor since Sidney Poitier to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKTVQPOH8ZA]* * *
10. Inside Man
Washington plays Detective Keith Frazier, who along with his partner Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) must diffuse a bank robbery that become a hostage situation. While trying to get behind the robbers motives, Frazier must also contend with an amped up police force, the Mayor and a corporate ‘fixer’ (played by Jodie Foster) hired by the bank. As Washington keeps the character cool even when he realizes that he’s in way over this head in this crime drama. Watching him share scenes with Foster and Christopher Plummer are electric. The highest grossing film for director Spike Lee and for Washington, Inside Man is a later period triumph.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnkS0XIePF8]* * *
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