01 The performance that won him his second Oscar, and one of the most quotable villains in modern film.
Denzel Washington – 10 Best Movies
By Vlad Zakh · August 15, 2026
Denzel Washington has one of the most consistently excellent filmographies of any actor working today. These ten are the essential starting point.
01 
02 A towering, career-defining performance that should have won him the Oscar it did not.
03 His first Oscar win, and a genuinely powerful supporting performance.
04 Cold, controlled, and completely commanding opposite Russell Crowe.
05 A stage-to-screen performance with enormous weight behind every line.
06 One of his most physically and emotionally demanding roles.
07 Tense and brutal, and one of his most purely entertaining action roles.
08 A quieter, more restrained side of his range, opposite Tom Hanks.
09 A raw, uncomfortable performance about addiction that holds nothing back.
10 A crowd-pleaser that still works because he never phones it in, even in the feel-good roles.