Denzel Washington movies: Name your fave five

By Chris Nashawaty Updated January 16, 2010 at 09:21 PM EST

Denzel Washington — nominated for five Oscars and six Golden Globes–is one of the best actors alive. As of today, he’s also the man who unseated Avatar from the top spot at the box office. Not bad, sir! The Book of Eli raked in $11.7 million on Friday — about a million and a half bucks more than James Cameron’s 3-D-a-palooza. And if it holds up, it will mark yet another impressive opening weekend for an actor who’s got a resume full of them. Of course, we here at EW are interested in bigger things than mere dollars and cents. We’re interested in ranking things…because, well, it’s fun and, hey, it’s what we do. So, on this Washingtonian weekend, we’re asking you to rank your Top 5 favorite Denzel flicks. For example, is Glory better than Malcolm X? Is Philadelphia better than Remember the Titans? Is Training Day better than Courage Under Fire or Crimson Tide? Is there any love out there for his early performances in Carbon Copy or The Mighty Quinn? And does his better-than-we-expected remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 belong on the list?

Take a few moments to re-familiarize yourself with a few of Denzel’s greatest hits below and then let us know your top five ranked from best to worst — and please keep it to five because that’s what makes lists like this tough. (For the record, here’s how I’d vote — from best to worst: Glory, Philadelphia, Devil in a Blue Dress, Training Day, Inside Man)

Carbon Copy (1981)