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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Denzel Washington’s filmography is unusually difficult to rank because it contains prestige dramas, historical films, Shakespeare, political thrillers, action franchises, intimate character studies and a few guilty pleasures. This list weighs the film as a whole, Washington’s performance, cultural importance and lasting value—not just a Rotten Tomatoes percentage.
The ranking includes his 50 feature films listed in Rotten Tomatoes’ current Washington guide, including Highest 2 Lowest (2025). Tomatometer scores are included as a changing reference point, not as the final verdict: the percentage measures the share of positive critic reviews, not an average quality score. The list is editorial, with particular weight given to films that illuminate history, race, politics, justice and American identity.
![The Book of Eli [DVD] (2010) Denzel Washington; Gary Oldman; Mila Kunis](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bum8CdDVL._SL160_.jpg)
The 10 best Denzel Washington movies
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Malcolm X (1992)
Director: Spike Lee | Tomatometer: 89%
Washington’s defining biographical performance remains the clearest example of an actor carrying a major historical portrait without reducing its subject to a set of inspirational slogans. He plays Malcolm Little, Malcolm X and El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz as distinct stages of a restless intellectual and spiritual life. Spike Lee’s film is expansive, argumentative and sometimes deliberately unfinished, but Washington gives it a powerful center. His Oscar nomination was deserved, even though he lost to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman.
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Glory (1989)
Director: Edward Zwick | Tomatometer: 95%
As Private Trip, a formerly enslaved man who joins the Union Army’s first Black regiment, Washington gives one of the most concentrated supporting performances in American cinema. His anger, pride and terror culminate in a whipping scene that earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 1990 ceremony. The film is a stirring Civil War drama, though its perspective remains largely tied to white officers. Washington’s performance makes the soldiers’ dignity impossible to overlook.
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Training Day (2001)
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Tomatometer: 74%
The movie is a hard-edged police thriller, but Washington’s Alonzo Harris is the reason it endures. He turns a corrupt Los Angeles narcotics detective into a charismatic theorist of power who believes the rules belong to whoever can enforce them. The performance is funny, frightening and extravagantly controlled. It won Washington the 2002 Academy Award for Best Actor—the first of his two Oscars, despite the common claim that both were Best Actor wins.
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Fences (2016)
Director: Denzel Washington | Tomatometer: 92%
Washington directs and stars in this adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Troy Maxson is a former baseball player whose bitterness about the color line has hardened into a philosophy of emotional control. The film retains much of the play’s stage-bound structure, but that focus suits Washington’s performance: Troy’s long monologues become evasions, confessions and weapons. Viola Davis is equally formidable as Rose, making the marriage’s power shifts painfully clear.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Directors: Joel Coen | Tomatometer: 93%
Washington brings age, exhaustion and political experience to Shakespeare’s doomed king. Rather than playing Macbeth as a young man intoxicated by ambition, he suggests a respected soldier who recognizes the moral cost of every decision and proceeds anyway. Joel Coen’s stark black-and-white images and theatrical compositions make the film feel like a nightmare staged in a box. Washington received his 10th Oscar nomination for the role, this time for Best Actor.
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Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Director: Carl Franklin | Tomatometer: 92%
This beautifully atmospheric neo-noir gives Washington one of his most appealing roles: Easy Rawlins, a Black Los Angeles veteran pulled into a dangerous search for a missing woman. Easy is observant, resourceful and morally flexible without becoming cynical. The film’s postwar Los Angeles setting does as much historical work as its mystery plot, exposing the city’s racial and economic divisions. It deserved a larger audience and remains one of Washington’s most complete genre performances.
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Inside Man (2006)
Director: Spike Lee | Tomatometer: 86%
Washington plays Detective Keith Frazier, a police negotiator confronting a bank robbery whose real target is hidden behind the hostage crisis. The film is an efficient commercial thriller, but Spike Lee gives it political texture through its treatment of wealth, antisemitism, colonial history and New York identity. Washington’s relaxed authority is perfectly matched by Clive Owen’s masked criminal and Jodie Foster’s fixer. It is one of his best mainstream films and his most purely enjoyable collaboration with Lee.
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Philadelphia (1993)
Director: Jonathan Demme | Tomatometer: 81%
Washington plays Joe Miller, a homophobic lawyer forced to confront his assumptions when he represents Andrew Beckett, an attorney fired after developing AIDS. Tom Hanks receives the more showy role, but Washington supplies the film’s moral movement. Joe’s gradual recognition of Beckett’s humanity gives the courtroom drama its emotional architecture. The film is a significant AIDS-era studio production, even if some of its explanatory framing now feels cautious and conventional.
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He Got Game (1998)
Director: Spike Lee | Tomatometer: 82%
Washington is unusually bruised and opaque as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prisoner offered temporary freedom to persuade his gifted basketball-playing son to attend the governor’s preferred college. The sports-recruitment story is only the surface. The film is about parental guilt, exploitation, masculinity and whether talent can liberate someone from the systems that profit from it. Ray Allen’s restrained performance as Jesus and Washington’s difficult, unsentimental father make this one of Lee’s richest collaborations.
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Flight (2012)
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Tomatometer: 77%
Washington plays airline pilot Whip Whitaker, who lands a damaged plane but conceals the alcoholism that contributed to the disaster. The spectacular crash is only the opening movement; the film becomes a study of addiction, denial, institutional protection and accountability. Washington refuses to make Whip either a monster or a misunderstood hero. His Oscar-nominated performance is built from evasions, flashes of shame and the terrifying comfort of another drink.
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Ranks 11–25: acclaimed dramas, thrillers and historical films
| Rank | Film | Year | Tomatometer* | Why it belongs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Courage Under Fire | 1996 | 86% | A morally tangled Gulf War investigation in which Washington’s conflicted officer anchors several competing accounts of courage. |
| 12 | The Hurricane | 1999 | 82% | Washington’s intense performance as Rubin “Hurricane” Carter gives this prison-and-redemption drama its force, though its liberties with the true story remain significant. |
| 13 | American Gangster | 2007 | 81% | A polished crime biography about Frank Lucas, with Washington projecting the businessman’s cold discipline and ambition. |
| 14 | Much Ado About Nothing | 1993 | 90% | Washington brings gravitas to Don Pedro in Kenneth Branagh’s bright, accessible Shakespeare adaptation. |
| 15 | Mississippi Masala | 1991 | 92% | Mira Nair’s thoughtful interracial romance examines displacement, diaspora and prejudice through a warm, understated Washington performance. |
| 16 | The Great Debaters | 2007 | 80% | Washington directs and stars in the true-inspired story of a Black college debate team challenging segregation-era institutions. |
| 17 | Antwone Fisher | 2002 | 78% | Washington’s directing debut is a compassionate account of a sailor confronting childhood abuse with the help of a Navy psychiatrist. |
| 18 | A Soldier’s Story | 1984 | 91% | This adaptation of Charles Fuller’s play uses a murder investigation inside a segregated Army unit to examine colorism, class and racial identity. |
| 19 | The Mighty Quinn | 1989 | 89% | A relaxed Caribbean mystery that lets Washington play an intelligent, wry police chief rather than an emotionally tortured professional. |
| 20 | Crimson Tide | 1995 | 89% | As a principled naval officer locked in a nuclear-command dispute, Washington makes procedural dialogue feel like a test of democratic control. |
| 21 | Remember the Titans | 2000 | 72% | A crowd-pleasing football drama about integration, elevated by Washington’s disciplined portrayal of coach Herman Boone. |
| 22 | Cry Freedom | 1987 | 73% | Washington’s Steve Biko is magnetic in Richard Attenborough’s South African apartheid drama, although the film often follows its white journalist protagonist. |
| 23 | The Manchurian Candidate | 2004 | 79% | A paranoid political remake in which Washington’s traumatized veteran must determine whether his memories have been manipulated. |
| 24 | Gladiator II | 2024 | 70% | Washington has the film’s most commanding role as Macrinus, a calculating power broker in Ridley Scott’s Roman sequel. |
| 25 | Highest 2 Lowest | 2025 | 83% | Spike Lee reunites with Washington for a contemporary crime drama and places the actor near the top of recent critical rankings. |
Ranks 26–50: entertaining, uneven and underseen Washington films
| Rank | Film | Year | Tomatometer* | Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Unstoppable | 2010 | 87% | A lean Tony Scott thriller about rail workers trying to stop an unmanned freight train. |
| 27 | The Equalizer 3 | 2023 | 76% | The strongest of the trilogy’s later entries, giving Robert McCall a quieter Italian setting and a more reflective rhythm. |
| 28 | Out of Time | 2003 | 65% | A Florida police chief races to solve a murder while evidence points directly at him. |
| 29 | The Magnificent Seven | 2016 | 64% | Washington leads a modernized western remake with commanding presence, even when the material is familiar. |
| 30 | 2 Guns | 2013 | 64% | A breezy undercover-crime comedy whose pleasures come mainly from Washington’s chemistry with Mark Wahlberg. |
| 31 | Ricochet | 1991 | 75% | A pulpy revenge thriller that gives Washington an early leading role as a prosecutor targeted by an imprisoned criminal. |
| 32 | The Preacher’s Wife | 1996 | 60% | A gentle Christmas romance in which Washington plays an angel opposite Whitney Houston. |
| 33 | The Equalizer | 2014 | 61% | Washington’s controlled, almost mythic vigilante performance makes this efficient revenge thriller more memorable than its formula. |
| 34 | Déjà Vu | 2006 | 55% | A time-bending investigation with a strong emotional premise and the propulsive style of director Tony Scott. |
| 35 | Roman J. Israel, Esq. | 2017 | 55% | Washington takes a deliberately mannered turn as an idealistic, socially awkward defense attorney confronting a compromised legal system. |
| 36 | The Pelican Brief | 1993 | 56% | A sturdy John Grisham conspiracy thriller pairing Washington’s investigative reporter with Julia Roberts’s law student. |
| 37 | Safe House | 2012 | 52% | Washington adds wary intelligence and moral ambiguity to a conventional CIA chase movie. |
| 38 | The Equalizer 2 | 2018 | 52% | More violent and less focused than the first film, but still powered by Washington’s calm physical authority. |
| 39 | The Taking of Pelham 123 | 2009 | 51% | A tense subway hostage remake built around the telephone duel between Washington and John Travolta. |
| 40 | Man on Fire | 2004 | 39% | A divisive revenge film whose audience following rests on Washington’s bond with Dakota Fanning and Tony Scott’s aggressive style. |
| 41 | The Book of Eli | 2010 | 46% | A post-apocalyptic action parable with striking imagery and a committed Washington performance. |
| 42 | Fallen | 1998 | 43% | A supernatural police mystery that finds Washington playing a detective up against an unusually elusive evil. |
| 43 | The Little Things | 2021 | 44% | A grim serial-killer procedural with strong actors but an overburdened, unsatisfying mystery. |
| 44 | The Siege | 1998 | 44% | A post-9/11-feeling political thriller made before 9/11, notable for its uneasy treatment of terrorism and civil liberties. |
| 45 | The Bone Collector | 1999 | 30% | Washington gives credibility to a formulaic serial-killer thriller as a quadriplegic forensic expert. |
| 46 | John Q | 2002 | 26% | An emotionally direct hospital drama about an uninsured father taking drastic action for his son. |
| 47 | Power | 1986 | 50% | A political-media drama from director Sidney Lumet, with Washington in a supporting role early in his film career. |
| 48 | Virtuosity | 1995 | 30% | A high-concept cyber-thriller that benefits from Washington’s seriousness but cannot control its own premise. |
| 49 | For Queen and Country | 1988 | 29% | Washington plays a British veteran struggling to find a place after military service in a politically charged but uneven drama. |
| 50 | Heart Condition | 1990 | 10% | An odd-couple supernatural comedy that is more useful as a reminder of Washington’s range than as a successful film. |
*Tomatometer figures are the current scores in Rotten Tomatoes’ Washington ranking and can change. The scores are reproduced as a reference, not treated as an objective ranking.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the ranking says about Washington’s career
Washington’s most durable films tend to put moral pressure on their central characters. Malcolm X must repeatedly remake himself; Trip in Glory must retain his dignity inside a brutal institution; Troy Maxson in Fences has to face the damage caused by the survival strategies he mistakes for wisdom. Even Training Day, his most famous villainous role, works because Alonzo has built an entire philosophy to justify corruption.
His action films are best when the genre gives that authority a precise dramatic problem. Inside Man is about competing versions of justice. Crimson Tide turns command procedure into a constitutional argument. Unstoppable strips the star persona down to competence and teamwork. By contrast, films such as Man on Fire and The Equalizer rely more heavily on the pleasure of watching Washington’s composure break into controlled violence.
His historical and socially focused films also deserve careful viewing rather than automatic praise. Glory, Malcolm X, Philadelphia, Cry Freedom, Mississippi Masala, A Soldier’s Story and The Great Debaters open useful conversations about race, memory, institutions and representation. They do not all tell those histories from the same viewpoint, and some simplify events for mainstream drama. That tension is part of their documentary value: they show not only the subjects they depict, but also how Hollywood has chosen to frame them.
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Washington’s two Oscars—and the performances that were nominated
Washington has won two Academy Awards. He won Best Supporting Actor for Glory and Best Actor for Training Day. He has not won two Best Actor Oscars. His performance in Malcolm X earned a Best Actor nomination, and his role in The Tragedy of Macbeth brought his 10th Oscar nomination.
Those awards do not settle the ranking. Malcolm X is arguably the larger cultural achievement, while Fences and Flight reveal aspects of Washington’s work that the Academy has recognized less consistently: his ability to play shame, emotional avoidance and damaged intimacy rather than only authority.
Sources and ranking method
Film years, the 50-film comparison set and the Tomatometer snapshot were checked against Rotten Tomatoes’ Denzel Washington guide. Oscar history was checked against the Academy’s Washington collection and Academy nomination records. The order above is an editorial ranking based on film quality, Washington’s performance, historical or cultural significance, direction, screenplay and rewatch value.
FAQ
What is the best Denzel Washington movie?
Malcolm X is the strongest overall choice because it combines a major historical subject, Spike Lee’s ambitious direction and Washington’s defining performance. Glory, Training Day and Fences are close alternatives depending on whether performance, cultural impact or film craft matters most to you.
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Washington has won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Glory and Best Actor for Training Day. He received his 10th Oscar nomination for The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Is Training Day Denzel Washington’s best-reviewed movie?
No. It is one of his most iconic performances, but its current 74% Tomatometer is below films including Glory, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Fences, Devil in a Blue Dress and Malcolm X. Its reputation comes especially from Washington’s Oscar-winning performance as Alonzo Harris.
Is Man on Fire considered a critical favorite?
No. Man on Fire has a strong audience following, particularly for the Washington–Dakota Fanning relationship and Tony Scott’s kinetic action style, but its current Tomatometer score is 39%. It is better described as a popular Washington cult favorite than as a critical consensus choice.
The Bottom Line
Malcolm X is the best starting point for understanding Denzel Washington as a performer: historically engaged, intellectually forceful and capable of making transformation visible. From there, watch Glory for the Oscar-winning supporting role, Training Day for his most famous villain, Fences for his work as actor-director and Devil in a Blue Dress for a superb underseen genre film. The lower-ranked action pictures still contain worthwhile performances, but Washington’s greatest films are the ones that make his authority, anger and vulnerability collide.
Quick Recap
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