Starring: Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Kimberly Elise, Jeffrey Wright
Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco’s doubts deepen, Shaw’s political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore, Charles S. Dutton
The 1990s began with what may be the sexiest Hollywood film made during the last decade of the century, built on the energy of director Mira Nair’s keen eye for detail and the chemistry between the young talents of Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury.
When Mina (Sarita Choudhury), an Indian immigrant in Mississippi, falls for Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a charming carpet cleaner, their love ignites tensions between their families and communities. Torn between tradition and passion, the star-crossed couple fights to chart their own path in this lush, cross-cultural romance. An underseen critical darling at the beginning of the 1990s, Nair’s second feature rightfully found enthusiastic aplomb in the decades since its release, mainly due—let’s be real—to one of the most smoldering couples to ever grace the screen.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony, Mickey Rourke, Rachel Ticotin, Jesús Ochoa
In a Mexico City wracked by a recent wave of kidnappings, ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Denzel Washington) reluctantly accepts a job as a bodyguard for 9-year-old Lupita (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of wealthy businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony). Just as Creasy begins to develop a fondness for the young girl, a bloodthirsty gunman (Jesús Ochoa) kidnaps her. Now, Creasy must pick off a succession of corrupt cops and criminals to reach his ultimate object of vengeance.
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman
Following the Battle of Antietam, Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is offered command of the United States’ first all-African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. With junior officer Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), Shaw puts together a strong and proud unit, including the escaped slave Trip (Denzel Washington) and the wise gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). At first limited to menial manual tasks, the regiment fights to be placed in the heat of battle.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Matt Craven, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini
After the Cold War, a breakaway Russian republic with nuclear warheads becomes a possible worldwide threat. U.S. submarine Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) signs on a relatively green but highly recommended Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington) to the USS Alabama, which may be the only ship able to stop a possible Armageddon. When Ramsay insists that the Alabama must act aggressively, Hunter, fearing they will start rather than stop a disaster, leads a potential mutiny to stop him.
Starring: Bernadette Lafont, Georges Géret, Claire Maurier, Julien Guiomar, Michel Constantin, Louis Malle
Marie (Bernadette Lafont) lives with her mother on the outskirts of a provincial town where the inhabitants are as cruel as they are ignorant, treating the two women like inferiors. When her mother is tragically killed, Marie sees the opportunity to exploit her exploiters, charging them for sexual favors and quickly accumulating wealth and power. Director Nelly Kaplan’s debut feature is a biting satire that she described as “a witch who doesn’t let herself be burned; she sets fire to the others.”
Starring: Toni Collette, Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie
From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, Mickey 17. The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cosmo Jarvis, Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci, Matt Servitto
Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, a pair of Italian Americans who run two separate crime families in the mid-20th century. Genovese attempted to assassinate Costello in 1957, although Costello retired from the mob.
Starring: Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Ann Dowd, Constance Wu
Based on the bestselling novel, writer and teacher Iris (Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Murray) leaves her his beloved 150 lb. Great Dane. The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life in this story of healing, love, and friendship.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Pierce Brosnan, Naomie Harris
When his beloved wife Kathryn is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.
