The 2013 movie, "Two Guns", saw Washington (Robert Trench, an undercover DEA agent) paired with Mark Wahlberg (Michael Stigman, Naval Intelligence officer, also undercover). The men get caught up in a complicated bank heist scheme to bring down a mob boss, but because they work for different agencies and haven't shared information, the two find themselves at odds with each other before realizing they're on the same side; however, by then they're both being sought after by not only their own agencies, but the mob, as well.
2. John W. Creasy
Answer: Man On Fire
John W. Creasy (Washington) is a disillusioned former CIA agent who is hired as a bodyguard the Ramos family to in order to protect their child, Lupita (Dakota Fanning), in "Man On Fire" (2004).
Creasy is reluctant to get close to Lupita, but her precociousness eventually wins him over just before she's kidnapped. This releases the demons Creasy was trying to drown with alcohol and allows him to go about the task of rescuing Lupita from her captors in some of the most grueling ways possible in order to rescue her.
3. Ben Marco
Answer: The Manchurian Candidate
A 2004 remake of the 1962 film, "The Manchurian Candidate" sees Denzel Washington in the role of Ben Marco, a Gulf War veteran who finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy to take over the White House. Marco is led to believe that his former Sergeant (Ray Shaw; played by Liev Schreiber) saved his whole company (including Marco) during an ambush. Although Shaw is now the top candidate for the vice presidency, he's also a puppet for a powerful global corporation called Manchurian Corp with designs on world domination.
Meryl Streep was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Senator Eleanor Shaw.
4. Nick Styles
Answer: Ricochet
John Lithgow plays one of the most cunning villains in cinema history with his portrayal of Earl Talbot Blake in the 1991 action-thriller, "Ricochet". Asst. District Attorney Nick Styles (Washington) happened upon a drug deal that Blake was attempting to execute, several years earlier when he was just a rookie Los Angeles police officer.
This bust catapults him into an illustrious career. Blake, on the other hand, is sent to prison and vows to take revenge on the former officer that brought him down.
When Blake is released, he goes about carrying out his promise and makes Styles' life a living hell.
5. Private First Class Peterson
Answer: A Soldier's Story
1984 sees Denzel Washington appear in the movie, "A Soldier's Story", an adaptation of a Charles Fuller play. Washington plays Private First Class Peterson. The story is a kind of "whodunit" and takes place during World War II in the midst of racial inequality and unrest in the military. When an African American sergeant is killed on base (Sgt. Waters; played by Adolph Caesar) all the evidence points towards a white officer whose prejudices make him the prime suspect. But, it's up to outside attorney, Capt. Davenport (played by Howard E. Rollins) to uncover the shocking truth.
"A Soldier's Story" garnered Academy Award nominations, in 1985, in three separate categories, but did not win any of them: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Adolph Caesar), and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Charles Fuller).
6. Malcolm Little
Answer: Malcolm X
Possibly one of the most popular and well-known films of his illustrious career, "Malcolm X" (1992, directed by Spike Lee) is believed by many to have been Denzel Washington's greatest role. he played the controversial Nation of Islam minister (known formerly as Malcolm Little before his introduction into the Islamic faith). The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Costumer Design), but won neither.
7. Nat Serling
Answer: Courage Under Fire
Was United States Army helicopter pilot Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) worthy to be recognized for a Medal of Honor? That's the question to be answered in "Courage Under Fire", a 1996 film by director Edward Zwick. Denzel Washington plays Lt. Colonel Nat Serling, the person assigned to determine if Walden acted heroically or irresponsibly during a rescue mission in which she lost her life during the Gulf War. With conflicting accounts coming from those involved, Serling has to sift through what are lies and what is the truth.
8. John Hobbes
Answer: Fallen
"Fallen", the 1998 film from director, Gregory Hoblit, sees Denzel Washington (Det. John Hobbes) in this supernatural thriller as he is confronted with the spirit of deceased serial killer, Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas), whose lifeforce is believed to have returned in the form of the fallen angel, Azrael. Making matters more difficult for Hobbes is that, as an ephemeral spirit, Azrael has the ability to jump from body to body leaving the previous host completely unaware of the influence they were under.
9. Don Pedro
Answer: Much Ado About Nothing
Adapted by actor/ director Kenneth Branaugh from the Shakespearean play of the same name, "Much ado About Nothing" (1993) is the story of Hero (played by Kate Beckinsale) and Claudio (Sean Patrick Leonard) and their quarrel with Benedick (Branaugh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson) about the viability of the institution of marriage. Don Pedro (Washington) and his brother, Don Jon (Keanu Reaves) are both recruited to try and break up Hero and Claudio's upcoming nuptials, but true love wins out in the end.
10. Frank Barnes
Answer: Unstoppable
In this Tony Scott film from 2010, Denzel Washington (Frank Barnes) and Chris Pine (Will Colson) play two railroad employees who find themselves racing against time in order to prevent a major accident from occurring as they struggle to stop an unmanned, runaway train from barreling into a small Pennsylvania town.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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