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#10: Bleek Gilliam
"Mo' Better Blues" (1990) “Mo’ Better Blues” is a dramedy about jazz musicians in New York City. Denzel stars as Bleek Gilliam, a jazz trumpeter and band-leader. The film follows Bleek’s trials and tribulations in friendship, love, music, and business. Director Spike Lee shot and directed the film to mimic jazz’s free-flowing style. He let his actors feel the rhythm and improvise constantly. As an actor famous for his improvisational style, this let Denzel shine. One scene at the heart of the film is a debate over the nature of jazz. Denzel and Wesley Snipes argue over their audience, their community, and their music. The personal and the political collide with great ad-libbed performances.
#9: Bobby ‘Balls’
"2 Guns" (2013) The 2013 action comedy “2 Guns” may not be Denzel’s best known movie, but it’s a wild ride. Both he and co-star Mark Wahlberg are known for going off-book. Their chemistry is off-the-charts hilarious. In an interview with Collider, the pair couldn’t really remember how much of what we saw was scripted or not. In the film, Denzel plays Bobby “Balls,” an undercover D.E.A agent. Deep into the movie, Bobby gets captured by a corrupt C.I.A. operative played by Bill Paxton. Bobby’s name is put to the test as his crotch is forced into a game of Russian Roulette. That’s an improvised scene that’s hard to forget.
#8: Detective Keith Frazier
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“Inside Man” (2006) By 2006, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington had developed an easy rapport. “Inside Man” was their fourth team-up, and it shows; Spike just lets Denzel be Denzel. Through the many twists and turns of the plot, Detective Keith Frazier rolls with the punches. Despite being a high concept heist movie, Spike doesn’t shy away from tackling race. In one scene, Detective Frazier interviews a Sikh victim of the bank robbery. “Inside Man” was shot in New York only a few years after 9/11, and the film doesn’t hide from Islamophobia. Frazier and Vikram commiserate over racial profiling in an incisive but funny unscripted moment.
#7: Robert McCall
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"The Equalizer 2" (2018) Movies and TV shows like “Jack Reacher'' and “John Wick” feature heroes that are forces of nature. When they come for you, they strike with the fury and thunder of a storm. Denzel’s character Robert McCall does much the same in the “Equalizer” movies, with one difference: McCall presents a quiet and calm threat. He has a steady but terrifying presence. Director Antoine Fuqua - a frequent collaborator - had much praise for Denzel’s ad-libbing. In “The Equalizer 2” there is a chilling scene where McCall tells all his former comrades that he plans to kill them. Denzel’s improvised delivery is as casual as placing a breakfast order. It’s a moment that should chill the bad guys as much as it does the audience.
#6: Nat Serling
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“Courage Under Fire” (1996) Denzel Washington once described improvisation as ‘finding out who you are’ as a character in the moment. That approach fit perfectly with his 1996 film “Courage Under Fire.” In a “Rashomon” style movie, he plays an Army officer tasked with finding the truth. The first Medal of Honor to be awarded to a woman for combat is at stake. Each member of her squad tells a different version of the story, and Denzel must wade through their lies. All the while he is burdened by guilt; he accidentally killed a fellow tank officer in a friendly fire incident. In one of the final scenes of the movie, he tells the man’s family the truth. Denzel’s approach lends the scene a heartbreaking realism.
#5: Jake Shuttlesworth
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"He Got Game" (1998) In “He Got Game,” Denzel stars as Jake Shuttlesworth, a temporarily released convict. His son, played by NBA star Ray Allen, is a top basketball prospect. The governor offers Jake full release if he can convince his son to attend the governor’s alma mater. The wrinkle: Jake was convicted of killing his wife. The film centers around the tension between father and son. In one scene, Jake and Allen’s Jesus play a one-on-one pickup game. Originally, Jesus was supposed to win eleven to nothing. But Denzel practiced working with his left-side game in secret. On the day, he shocked Ray Allen with his left-handed skills and scored a few points. The struggle between them on the court became emblematic of their emotional journey.
#4: Joe Miller
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“Philadelphia” (1993) “Philadelphia” is the first and only time Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington worked together. It’s the story of a lawyer - Hanks - fired for having A.I.D.S. and being gay. Denzel plays Hanks’ lawyer in a lawsuit against his old firm. The film netted Hanks his first Oscar for Best Actor. When interviewed years later by the Irish Times, Hanks was effusive with praise for his co-star. “I sat beside him for three weeks shooting the trial,” he said. “It was a thriller of an acting class. He follows no rules but pursues the moment.” Over the course of the trial, Denzel’s character comes to terms with his own bigotry. He uses that journey to fuel an incredible improvised performance.
#3: Malcolm X
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“Malcolm X” (1992) When Spike Lee offered the role of Malcolm X to Denzel Washington, the actor took it seriously. He told his agent that he would take no other work for a year. He learned Arabic; he stopped drinking and eating pork. Denzel dedicated himself fully to the part. The result, according to Spike, is that Denzel somehow channeled the spirit of the civil rights leader. In one scene, Malcolm is giving a speech to the crowd. Before Spike could yell ‘cut’ at the end of the speech, Denzel kept going for another few minutes. Spike asked the actor where it all came from. Denzel’s answer? “I don’t know.”
#2: Private Trip
“Glory” (1989) Denzel Washington won his first Oscar for “Glory” playing Private Trip, a runaway slave who joins the Union Army. There are two ad-libbed scenes that helped secure Denzel’s win. In the campfire scene, the soldiers in the unit sing together and give unscripted speeches in preparation for a battle. The fear and love for his brothers is written all over Private Trip’s face. The other is one of the most memorable scenes in Denzel’s career. Private Trip is unfairly flogged, crying only a single tear. As it turns out, director Edward Zwick told the off-camera actor to whip Denzel until he ‘found it.’ Unfortunately, Zwick neglected to tell Denzel. Though Washington undoubtedly ‘found it,’ it’s a moving moment born out of dubious ethics.
#1: Alonzo
“Training Day” (2001) Detective Alonzo Harris is arguably one of the darkest roles in Denzel Washington’s career. It netted him an Academy Award for Best Actor. Alonzo is a corrupt cop who rules his streets with an iron fist. Drugs, guns, gangs and money are the cornerstones of Alonzo’s world. His trainee - Ethan Hawke’s Jake - manages to overcome the odds to foil Alonzo’s plans. “Training Day” was the first of several collaborations between Washington and Director Antoine Fuqua. Fuqua learned quickly to let Denzel do his thing. The result? When everything falls to pieces around him, Alonzo gives his infamous “King Kong speech.” Much of it, including the famous line, was off-book. It’s since become one of the most iconic speeches in movie history.
