With the release of this weekend's Deja Vu, I thought we'd take a look at one of everyone's favorite actors, Denzel Washington. He's had a great career filled with phenomenal performances, and I'm going to be taking a look at some of his best and most interesting work (hint: you will not see Virtuosity on this list).

Denzel's career really started to take off in 1989 when The Mighty Quinn and Glory came out. Quinn was a surprise hit, and I remember wanting to see it simply because Robert Townsend was in it (What? I was a big Hollywood Shuffle fan). But his Oscar-winning work in the Edward Zwick film showed Hollywood and the theatergoing public the depth of his talent. I'm not sure he has given a more powerful performance than his Private Trip. It's so full of rage that it makes sense his best moment in the film is his most tender. Witness the scene where the soldiers are gathered around the campfire and he shyly expresses his love for his unit. It's so genuine it takes the other men and the audience by surprise.

The most overrated film of Spike Lee's career still features Washington's most dynamic work. He covers the gamut from ignorant thief to a brilliant -- if misguided -- black leader to an enlightened figure before his death. He plays a man who at first is so foolish, then so cold and later so warm, and he makes it all look easy. There was a lot of talk that he was robbed of an Oscar for this movie, but I could hardly argue against the performance that won that year.

Tom Hanks was great and won the Oscar, but often overlooked is the performance by Denzel Washington in this very good film. There is as much truth to his work as attorney Joe Miller as there is in Hanks' Andrew Beckett. His fear, ignorance and prejudice mirrored much of the audience and was key to the film working back in 1993.

This film carries two great performances, and watching him go toe-to-toe with Gene Hackman is a joy. This is one of Hackman's best performances, so it is a tribute to Denzel that he more than holds his own. Yep, this is one of my favorite Tony Scott films.

I have to do a Hidden Gem piece on this movie one day. It's a shame no one went to see this movie back in '95. If people had, maybe we would have gotten more Easy Rawlins films. Maybe Don Cheadle would have been nominated for his awesome role as Mouse. Washington is so effortless in making his characters feel real no matter the time (1948) or place (Los Angeles). This is one of the great film noir and Denzel performances you may have missed in the '90s.

This is a frustrating movie because at times it is one of Spike Lee's best films and at times it is one of his worst (Why the Milla Jovovich subplot? Why the silly orgy scene?). Still, it features one of my favorite roles of Denzel's career. He's a major sinner trying to make amends with his son. The scene that features that one-on-one basketball game with his son is powerful, real stuff.

I don't particularly care for this movie, but Denzel is fantastic in this movie. Washington has a knack for losing the Oscar to some pretty iconic characters. He went up against Lt. Col. Frank "Hoo-ah!" Slade in '92 and Lester Burnham in '99. Ouch. Not unlike his work in Malcolm X, his performance is epic, playing the character over a long stretch of years. I actually don't think his "angrier" work early in the film is as good as it should be, but the place his performance really takes off is once he is sentenced to prison. By the time he is playing a 50-year-old man, it becomes one of his finest roles.

No one was prepared for the scary, wild Denzel on display in this great bad-cop flick. I've mentioned before I thought Russell Crowe was robbed of an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind, but Denzel was on the short end of the stick enough times, and his acting is so damn good here that I can hardly care. This time, the iconic character was on his side. He has never been more fun to watch on screen.

Another great Tony Scott collaboration, this is another vicious yet tender turn for the actor in one of the more satisfying revenge films you're likely to see. What sets this performance apart is the earlier scenes he shares with the Dakota Fanning. This is a love story of sorts, and he doesn't let us forget it.

This underrated remake features a lead performance that is better than the one Sinatra gave in 1962. Denzel is a little unhinged here, and it's hella fun to watch.

You all can share in my Denzel lovefest (a platonic lovefest) this weekend when Deja Vu is released. I really liked Washington in the movie, but I guess that should come as no surprise.

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