Denzel Washington has been one of the more famous, and bigger names in Hollywood over the years. He has a long track record, and he is STILL a box office draw today, but how good is Denzel? Is he a legend? Is he on the same level as Pacino and De Niro?
Washington can always deliver a powerful performance. He can always bring tons of intensity and emotion to any character he plays, and his performances can always be entertaining. He did a phenomenal job portraying Malcolm X, and he managed to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Glory, as he played the rebellious and angry Union solider, Trip. Denzel has also showed us his dark side. He finally managed to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Training Day. Denzel did an awesome job with this character. Alonzo was a sleazy and crooked, and there were times where he could be truly evil. This character was something different, and Denzel nailed it to perfection. Although, I think people tend to forget about Denzel's other performances. The Alonzo character receives so much praise(mainly because Denzel finally won the big one for this role) but I think his other performances are horribly overlooked. As I said before, Deznel was just great in Malcolm X. The performance was outstanding, because Deznel brought this amazing amount of energy and intensity to Malcolm X. His performance in Glory was also pretty damn good. The Trip character was a strong rebel, but there were also times where you wanted to feel sorry for him.
Denzel can be very consistent when it comes to starring in quality films. Sure, every film might not be a spectacular 10/10, but I can't remember too many horrible films with Denzel( not including Unstoppable, because I did think that one was awful, and I don't know why so many people are high on it) and I do think that this something is worth praising. A lot of the other big name actresses and actors have had their fair share of really bad stinkers.
Denzel deserves recognition, but when it comes to determining Denzel's legendary status, I'm always on the fence. Deznel is still a box office draw, and I do think that's impressive, because Denzel has been around for a long time. He's starting to get up there in age, but people will still flock to see his films, because they now they're going to see something good. Although, guys like Pacino and De Niro have those "iconic" performances, but when it comes to Denzel, I'm not so sure I can say the same thing. I've always thought Denzel's range was kind of limited. I always see the same guy who can be a good talker. Also, I usually see guy who is very successful in life, and Denzel's characters usually have this cocky swagger. He was mean and dark in Training Day, but there were times where I still saw the same guy. I feel the same way about Washington's performance in American Gangster. Yeah, he was supposed to be the cold and viscous drug lord Frank Lucas, but I could see a lot of the same characteristics I always see in his other performances. He was pretty bold, and he proved to be a smooth talker, as he captured the heart of the woman who would later become his wife.
Denzel does deserve recognition, and a lot of the praise he receives is well deserved, but there are times where I question his range, because Denzel usually shows us the same type of guy in his movies.
Thoughts?
