Want to know the best Denzel Washington movies? How about the worst Denzel Washington movies? Curious about Denzel Washington’s box office grosses or which Denzel Washington movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Denzel Washington movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place.
Denzel Washington is a two time Academy Award® winner actor. He first rose to prominence when he appeared in the television drama St. Elsewhere, playing Dr. Philip Chandler for six years. In the late 1980s he left television and became one of the most popular movie stars. He has been nominated seven times for the Academy Awards®….winning twice (Glory and Training Day). He has been nominated seven times for the Golden Globe® award….winning twice (Glory, and The Hurricane). This page will rank most of his movies from Best to Worst…including his latest movie, The Equalizer. Cameos, television appearances, videos and shorts were not included in the rankings.
His IMDb page shows over 60 acting credits since 1977. In the table below Ultimate Movie Rankings ranks his movies in 6 different sortable columns. Television roles, cameos, shorts and straight to dvd movies were not included in the rankings.
Denzel Washington Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
2007
American Gangster (2007)
1995
Crimson Tide (1995)
1993
Philadelphia (1993)
2000
Remember the Titans (2000)
2006
Inside Man (2006)
2001
Training Day (2001)
AA Best Actor Win
1993
The Pelican Brief (1993)
1996
Courage Under Fire (1996)
1992
Malcolm X (1992)
AA Best Actor Nom
2016
Fences (2016)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
2012
Flight (2012)
AA Best Actor Nom
1989
Glory (1989)
AA Best Supp Actor Win
2024
Gladiator II (2024)
NP
1999
The Hurricane (1999)
AA Best Actor Nom
2012
Safe House (2012)
2010
Unstoppable (2010)
1984
A Soldier's Story (1984)
AA Best Picture Nom
2004
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
2014
The Equalizer (2014)
2023
The Equalizer 3 (2023)
2018
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
2010
The Book of Eli (2010)
1999
The Bone Collector (1999)
2016
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
1993
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
2004
Man on Fire (2004)
2006
Deja Vu (2006)
2013
2 Guns (2013)
1995
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
1996
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
2003
Out of Time (2003)
1998
He Got Game (1998)
2007
The Great Debaters (2007)
2009
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
2002
Antwone Fisher (2002)
1998
The Siege (1998)
1990
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
2002
John Q (2002)
1991
Ricochet (1991)
2021
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
AA Best Actor Nom
1987
Cry Freedom (1987)
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
1991
Mississippi Masala (1991)
1989
The Mighty Quinn (1989)
1998
Fallen (1998)
2017
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
AA Best Actor Nom
2021
The Little Things (2021)
1995
Virtuosity (1995)
2021
A Journal For Jordan (2021)
1986
Power (1986)
1981
Carbon Copy (1981)
1988
For Queen & Country (1988)
1990
Heart Condition (1990)
Denzel Washington Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Denzel Washington movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort Denzel Washington movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Denzel Washington movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Denzel Washington movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Denzel Washington movie received.
- Sort Denzel Washington movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | American Gangster (2007) | Russell Crowe | 130.20 | 203.9 | 417.50 | 18 | 81 | 02 / 00 | 97.9 | |
| 2 | Crimson Tide (1995) | Gene Hackman | 91.40 | 226.5 | 390.00 | 11 | 80 | 03 / 00 | 97.9 | |
| 3 | Philadelphia (1993) | Tom Hanks | 77.40 | 201.7 | 538.20 | 12 | 75 | 05 / 02 | 97.7 | |
| 4 | Remember the Titans (2000) | Will Patton | 115.70 | 231.3 | 273.40 | 18 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 94.5 | |
| 5 | Inside Man (2006) | Jodie Foster & Clive Owen |
88.50 | 145.0 | 302.10 | 23 | 83 | 00 / 00 | 94.1 | |
| 6 | Training Day (2001) AA Best Actor Win |
Ethan Hawke | 76.60 | 146.2 | 200.10 | 29 | 75 | 02 / 01 | 92.8 | |
| 7 | The Pelican Brief (1993) | Julia Roberts & Sam Shepard |
100.80 | 262.4 | 508.50 | 8 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 8 | Courage Under Fire (1996) | Meg Ryan & Matt Damon |
59.00 | 144.0 | 246.00 | 24 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 92.6 | |
| 9 | Malcolm X (1992) AA Best Actor Nom |
Angela Bassett & Directed by Spike Lee |
48.20 | 125.1 | 125.10 | 32 | 83 | 02 / 00 | 92.4 | |
| 10 | Fences (2016) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Viola Davis | 57.70 | 71.9 | 80.30 | 58 | 87 | 05 / 01 | 91.9 | |
| 11 | Flight (2012) AA Best Actor Nom |
John Goodman | 93.80 | 127.0 | 219.10 | 33 | 78 | 02 / 00 | 91.4 | |
| 12 | Glory (1989) AA Best Supp Actor Win |
Matthew Broderick & Morgan Freeman |
26.80 | 72.8 | 72.80 | 43 | 86 | 05 / 03 | 90.1 | |
| 22 | Gladiator II (2024) | Pedro Pascal | 145.80 | 145.8 | 398.30 | 12 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 89.7 | NP |
| 13 | The Hurricane (1999) AA Best Actor Nom |
Deborah Kara Unger & Liev Schreiber |
50.70 | 108.0 | 157.60 | 48 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 89.5 | |
| 14 | Safe House (2012) | Ryan Reynolds | 126.40 | 171.1 | 281.80 | 25 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 89.4 | |
| 15 | Unstoppable (2010) | Chris Pine | 81.40 | 111.2 | 229.00 | 41 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 88.9 | |
| 16 | A Soldier's Story (1984) AA Best Picture Nom |
Adolph Caesar | 21.80 | 70.0 | 70.00 | 46 | 82 | 03 / 00 | 88.6 | |
| 17 | The Manchurian Candidate (2004) | Liev Schreiber & Meryl Streep |
66.00 | 114.5 | 166.80 | 45 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 88.5 | |
| 18 | The Equalizer (2014) | Chloe Moretz | 101.50 | 134.0 | 253.80 | 32 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 87.7 | |
| 19 | The Equalizer 3 (2023) | Dakota Fanning | 92.40 | 92.4 | 185.70 | 29 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 86.6 | |
| 20 | The Equalizer 2 (2018) | Melissa Leo & Bill Pullman |
102.10 | 120.8 | 217.70 | 31 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 86.2 | |
| 21 | The Book of Eli (2010) | Mila Kunis & Ray Stevenson & Gary |
94.80 | 129.6 | 214.70 | 34 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 86.1 | |
| 23 | The Bone Collector (1999) | Angelina Jolie & Queen Latifah |
66.50 | 141.7 | 322.70 | 33 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 85.3 | |
| 24 | The Magnificent Seven (2016) | Chris Pratt & Ethan Hawke |
93.40 | 116.4 | 202.30 | 33 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 85.1 | |
| 25 | Much Ado About Nothing (1993) | Michael Keaton & Keanu Reeves |
22.50 | 58.7 | 58.70 | 69 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 83.9 | |
| 26 | Man on Fire (2004) | Christopher Walken & Directed by Tony Scott |
77.90 | 135.2 | 226.20 | 34 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 83.4 | |
| 27 | Deja Vu (2006) | Val Kilmer & Directed by Tony Scott |
64.00 | 104.9 | 295.80 | 42 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 82.0 | |
| 28 | 2 Guns (2013) | Mark Wahlberg | 75.60 | 100.3 | 174.90 | 45 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 81.1 | |
| 29 | Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) | Don Cheadle | 16.10 | 40.0 | 67.30 | 90 | 81 | 00 / 00 | 80.2 | |
| 30 | The Preacher's Wife (1996) | Whitney Houston & Directed by Penny Marshall |
48.10 | 117.3 | 117.30 | 33 | 55 | 01 / 00 | 80.0 | |
| 31 | Out of Time (2003) | Eva Mendes | 41.10 | 73.5 | 99.20 | 70 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 78.2 | |
| 32 | He Got Game (1998) | Milla Jovovich | 21.60 | 49.6 | 51.50 | 79 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 77.9 | |
| 33 | The Great Debaters (2007) | Forest Whitaker & John Heard |
30.20 | 47.4 | 47.40 | 85 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 77.5 | |
| 34 | The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) | John Travolta | 65.50 | 94.1 | 215.80 | 49 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 76.2 | |
| 35 | Antwone Fisher (2002) | Derek Luke & Viola Davis |
21.10 | 39.2 | 43.40 | 107 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 74.1 | |
| 36 | The Siege (1998) | Bruce Willis & Annette Bening |
41.00 | 94.2 | 268.20 | 48 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 73.0 | |
| 37 | Mo' Better Blues (1990) | Samuel L. Jackson & Wesley Snipes |
16.20 | 41.2 | 41.20 | 75 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 72.0 | |
| 38 | John Q (2002) | Robert Duvall | 71.80 | 133.4 | 190.00 | 37 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 71.8 | |
| 39 | Ricochet (1991) | John Lithgow | 21.80 | 55.7 | 55.70 | 61 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 40 | The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) AA Best Actor Nom |
Frances McDormand | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.60 | 198 | 81 | 03 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 41 | Cry Freedom (1987) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Kevin Kline | 5.90 | 16.3 | 71.40 | 98 | 72 | 03 / 00 | 66.2 | |
| 42 | Mississippi Masala (1991) | Directed by Mira Nair | 7.30 | 18.7 | 18.70 | 110 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 64.7 | |
| 43 | The Mighty Quinn (1989) | Robert Townsend | 4.60 | 12.4 | 12.40 | 113 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 56.8 | |
| 44 | Fallen (1998) | John Goodman | 25.20 | 58.0 | 58.00 | 71 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 55.9 | |
| 45 | Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) AA Best Actor Nom |
Colin Farrell | 12.00 | 14.4 | 15.70 | 119 | 62 | 01 / 00 | 46.4 | |
| 46 | The Little Things (2021) | Jared Leto & Rami Malek |
15.20 | 16.1 | 31.30 | 53 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 43.2 | |
| 47 | Virtuosity (1995) | Russell Crowe | 24.00 | 59.6 | 71.00 | 71 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 33.8 | |
| 48 | A Journal For Jordan (2021) | Michael B. Jordan & Directed by Denzel Washington |
6.40 | 6.8 | 6.90 | 73 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 32.3 | |
| 49 | Power (1986) | Richard Gere & Gene Hackman |
3.80 | 11.0 | 11.00 | 121 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 30.5 | |
| 50 | Carbon Copy (1981) | George Segal | 9.60 | 37.1 | 37.10 | 77 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 27.8 | |
| 51 | For Queen & Country (1988) | Sean Chapman | 0.20 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 237 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 13.2 | |
| 52 | Heart Condition (1990) | Bob Hoskins | 4.10 | 10.5 | 10.50 | 127 | 29 | 00 / 00 | 1.2 |
Denzel Washington Adjusted World Wide Box Office Grosses
Check out Steve’s Denzel Washington You Tube Video
Hey, unfortunately I have not read all the comments. But, there seems to be a movie that of Denzel’s that no one comments about when his name is mentioned. “Man on Fire”. That is one of my favorite movies with him besides inside man. The reason being is because his ability to convey the emotions necessary and also produce excellent chemistry with the young Dakota Fanning. Her acting in this movie, in my opinion, is one the best, if not the best child acting on film. Anyone agree? I will be creating a movie page wholly dedicated on this film in the next few days. Anyways, very well-written and informative page! Keep up the good work!
Hey zerbini87. Yep you are correct, Man on Fire, has not gotten much notice in the comments. In my ranking system it comes in 14th place which is not too bad. I think the violence turns many people off but it has some great performances in the supporting roles. Rourke, Walken, Mitchell and Anthony all shine brightly in the movie. I look forward to your page on Man on Fire. Thanks for the visit and the compliment.
AMERICAN GANGSTER IT IS MY FAVORITE I LIKE IT HI IS REAL ACTOR AND GRATE PERSON I HAVE SEE ALL HIS MOVES LOVE FROM ALBANIA
Hey Dori….thanks for the comment from Albania. Glad to see the your favorite Washington movie…American Gangster is so highly ranked in my rankings
his the number 1
Hey Romi….I agree he is one of the best actors working today.
I see I haven’t commented on this hub yet. Tsk, tsk, Flora!
Top ten box office:
Philadelphia…that is it.
Top ten critics:
Surprised Philadelphia isn’t on the list considering Tom Hanks got an Oscar and there were other nominations.
Those I have seen:
I have seen Much Ado About Nothing and Hurricane.
Overall:
I have seen only four films thus far. The other film was Devil in a Blue Dress.
I refuse to watch the remake of The Manchurian Candidate.
But, on my to-see list in alphabetical order:
Crimson Tide
Malcom X – will be difficult to watch, but I feel I need to see this movie
Training Day.
Any other suggestions based upon my favourite genres?
My favourite is Devil in a Blue Dress. And Shakespeare is always fun. The others I admire greatly, but they are difficult to watch.
Hey Flora…thanks for commenting on my 11th oldest remaining hub….it only has 1,089 views so far and 502 of them have come since SafeHouse opened up….so it looks like many people are checking the hub out for the first time.
Philadelphia did not get stellar reviews….it got good reviews but not as strong as you would have thought….kinda like Meryl Streep in Iron Lady….the performance of Hanks was considered much better than the movie.
As for some Denzel Washington movies you might like….besides Crimson Tide and Training Days I would think Deja Vu and Inside Man are both pretty good detective style movies….and Glory is one of my favorites of all-time…but it is a western/Civil War movie with lots of gore…I have to admit I have not seen Malcolm X myself….but have heard his performance is outstanding in the movie. Thanks for stopping by and for your comments. – See more at: http://cogersonmoviescore.com/denzel-washington-movies-best-to-worst.html#sthash.sp5vWzAo.dpuf
How did I miss this one? Great actor but like Nic Cage he has appeared in a lot of disposable films in the last few years.
Training Day number one on the moviescore? Good film, great role, won him an Oscar. Man on Fire was good too.
I’ve seen 22 of the 39 films you’ve listed. I never saw Philadelphia or Remember the Titans. I did see Ricochet and Virtuosity, I have them on dvd too. 🙂
I’ve seen 8 from the box office top 10 and 8 from the critics 10.
Of recent films Unstoppable was okay and The Book of Eli was enjoyable. I thought The Taking of Pelham 123 was unnecessary the original was much better.
Hey Steve…this was one of my very first hubs I ever did….and I ignored it for months until I realized he had a new movie being released,Safe House.
I have seen 23 of his 39. I thought Unstoppable was pretty good….I need to watch The Book of Eli again…so I can watch in a different light…Safe House looks good….and I have ignored Pelham….as I really enjoy the Walter Matthau version.