Denzel Washington… He does no wrong in my eyes. And since it’s been a while since we’ve seen a good vengeance movie (in fact, it was probably back in 2008 when Liam Neeson uttered the line about having a ‘very particular set of skills’), we at 2Oceansvibe are looking forward to seeing the mighty Denzel flex some muscle in the new action thriller, The Equalizer, which hits cinemas nationwide on Friday 26th September.

But let’s quickly turn the spotlight onto this great actor.

To celebrate the release of The Equalizer in cinemas, and to pay homage to the all-round greatness of Washington, we’ve selected what we think are his top 5 performances in no particular order…..

Flight (Whip Whitaker)
Washington plays a seasoned airline pilot who’s exceptionally good at two things – miraculously crash-landing a plane with engine failure, and snorting copious amounts of cocaine. Unfortunately for him, when the latter is exposed he goes from hero to zero in one fell swoop. Washington’s performance as the troubled pilot earned him a Best Actor Nomination at the 2012 Oscars.

Malcolm X (Malcolm X)
Fast becoming Spike Lee’s go-to man, Washington put in what can only be described as an exhilarating performance in his role as human rights activist Malcolm X. It was the fourth time that Lee and Washington teamed up and he received yet another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and all round critical acclaim for his portrayal.
Man on Fire (John Creasy)
Whilst the critics may have slammed it for being too violent, audiences loved this down-and-dirty revenge thriller, not least because Washington opened perhaps the biggest can of whoop ass and delivered the line ‘Revenge is a meal best-served cold’.

The Hurricane (Rubin Carter)
The film tells the story of real-life boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence. Whilst there was controversy outside of the movie on Carter’s innocence, one thing everyone did agree on was Washington’s incredible performance that led to yet another nomination nod.

In The Equalizer, Washington once again teams up with Training Day director Antoine Fuqua to take on the role of Robert McCall, a former black opps commander who faked his death for a quiet life in Boston. He thinks he’s put his violent past behind him until he comes to rescue a young girl named Teri (Chloe Grace Moritz) who’s under the control of some pretty nasty Russian gangsters. Armed with hidden skills that even Neeson himself would be jealous of, he seeks to serve out vengeance and deliver some justice against anyone who would brutalize the helpless.

From a homophobic lawyer in Philadelphia to political activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom, Washington’s never one to shy away from a challenging role, and in the case of McCall, it’s a damaged outsider with OCD. “There’s a switch that (Washington) turns on and that’s just scary,” says director Fuqua. “There’s a sustained intensity even in casual mode, like a panther. If it’s turned against you, you’re going to be in a bad place.”

Check out the awesome Trailer for The Equalizer HERE