Denzel Washington can play any genre — romance, comedy, drama — and is fluent in Shakespeare’s Iambic pentameter. His chops have been recognized with a bevy of awards: Washington currently holds two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, one Tony, the Golden Cecil B. Demille Award in 2016, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022, which he received in 2025. On top of all that — which is only scraping the surface of his many accolades — The New York Times named Washington the greatest actor of the 21st century.
In recent years, he’s continued to direct, played iconic Shakespearean roles, and revisited the action genre. His recent film, Highest 2 Lowest, reteams him with director Spike Lee, with whom he’s worked on five films. Read on for some of Washington’s most heart-pumping, stomach-turning, high-adrenaline action roles.
Inside Man
In Spike Lee’s (Da 5 Bloods) bank robbery thriller, Washington’s NYPD detective Keith Frazier goes toe-to-toe with a criminal mastermind attempting the perfect heist. Aside from getting the hostages out of the bank safely, Frazier also has to work with Madeleine White (Jodie Foster), a fixer hired to protect the bank’s interests — primarily those locked away in a safety deposit box.
Safe House
CIA agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is desperate for more field experience than allowed by his current post: watching a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa, where nothing ever happens. He gets his wish — and more than he bargained for — when a notorious former CIA agent turned baddie, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), ends up on his doorstep. When a group looking for Frost attacks the safe house, Weston must protect his “houseguest,” taking them both on a wild chase to find out who the real bad guys actually are.
2 Guns
Robert “Bobby” Trench (Washington) and Michael “Stig” Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) work side by side in the international drug trade. However, what neither of them know is that their partner-in-crime is also an undercover agent: Bobby works for the DEA and Stig is a US Navy SEAL. When their respective missions go off the rails, the two have to band and banter together to figure out who set them up.
The Equalizer
Washington teamed up with his frequent collaborator director Antoine Fuqua in this adaptation of the ’80s TV series. Washington is Robert McCall, a former Marine and intelligence agent who has left his old life behind. One night, he befriends a young sex worker who is being trafficked by the Russian mafia. In order to save her, he revisits his old skills.
The Equalizer 2, which came out in 2018, was the first time that Washington had ever starred in a sequel of one of his films. In the second outing, Robert seeks revenge against those responsible for the gruesome murder of a close friend. Much like his character, Washington went back for more action in a third installment, The Equalizer 3, in 2023.
