Certainly one of my favourite issues in Hollywood is when a director and actor grow to be buddies and make a bunch of flicks collectively. And among the finest variations of that collaboration is Denzel Washington and Spike Lee, who’ve made 5 films collectively. Immediately, I wish to rank these films and discuss why they’re particular. Let’s dive in.
5. Highest 2 Lowest (2025)
I have not seen this film, and it comes out quickly, so this is not an actual rating. The film premiered on the Cannes Movie Pageant, and follows Washington and Lee tackling a contemporary reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 traditional Excessive and Low. The movie at present holds a promising 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, which might put it towards the highest of this listing if it holds.
4. Mo’ Higher Blues (1990)
The movie that began all of it, Mo’ Higher Blues, is a classy and atmospheric exploration of the lifetime of a gifted however self-absorbed jazz trumpeter, Bleek Gilliam. It has a lot type, and the music in it’s so horny and opulent. It is a compelling character examine that allowed Denzel to seek out his character and simply be himself, whereas Lee finds his personal groove watching and transferring the digicam with the rhythm of the music. The movie grossed a decent $16.2 million on the field workplace, and its soundtrack acquired a Grammy nomination, solidifying its place as a noteworthy first outing for the pair.
3. Inside Man (2006)
It is so humorous to attempt to rank an inventory of flicks which are all so good. And the slick and clever heist thriller, Inside Man, comes proper in the course of it, when it might be tops on lots of different film lists. This film proved that Washington and Lee may grasp a mainstream style with their very own distinctive aptitude. No voice or concepts are misplaced right here; they’re rigorously woven into this film as a part of New York and its folks. Washington stars as Detective Keith Frazier, a pointy and witty hostage negotiator pitted towards a superb and enigmatic financial institution robber. The movie is a suspenseful cat-and-mouse sport that retains audiences guessing till it is over.
2. He Bought Recreation (1998)
I believe this film will get higher each time I watch it. It is a blistering critique of the commodification of younger Black athletes, and within the new period of NIL offers, it holds up. He Bought Recreation options Washington in a strong efficiency as Jake Shuttlesworth, a convicted felon briefly launched from jail to influence his estranged son, the nation’s prime basketball prospect, to play for the governor’s alma mater. It is a visually creative and emotionally charged drama that explores themes of exploitation, fatherhood, and the false promise of the American dream.
1. Malcolm X (1992)
An undisputed masterpiece, Malcolm X is the towering achievement of the Washington-Lee collaboration. In a monumental and career-defining efficiency, Denzel Washington embodies the fiery and complicated civil rights chief with breathtaking accuracy and emotional depth. Lee’s epic path masterfully chronicles Malcolm X’s life from his troubled youth to his transformative pilgrimage to Mecca. Washington acquired an Academy Award nomination for Greatest Actor for his highly effective portrayal. The movie’s cultural significance and its lasting affect on cinema are immeasurable. Spike Lee ought to have received the Oscar.
Summing It All Up
This was a enjoyable rating, even when it was exhausting, as a result of it confirmed the evolution of those two males’s work collectively and the way they’ve actually challenged one another to be higher and to make a few of the finest films of all time. Let me know your rating within the feedback.
