I have an affinity for watching good movies. I think it began when I was a child and my parents and I watched movie after movie during holidays. During my years of watching movies, I have identified a list of five to ten people whom I believe are the best at what they do. I have never had an interest in acting. I have, however, developed an ability to appreciate good acting because I have seen bad acting quite a bit. At one point, there was somewhat of an uproar from Hollywood celebrities regarding the influx of untrained actors starring in large budget films. Many seasoned thespians believed these individuals were taking roles away from highly trained, skilled actors. They argued their craft is a profession and should not be inundated with people who do not take it seriously. I certainly can understand their argument; I would not appreciate people becoming attorneys without going to law school and experiencing “THE STRUGGLE.” However, many people have natural talent and are able to excel in the entertainment industry without formal training. I also believe a lot of the criticism came at the expense of hip hop artists who began starring in movies during the 1990’s. Master P and his No Limit Soldiers were TERRIBLE actors and I certainly understand the backlash. But then again, you had guys with real talent like Ice Cube and Mos Def who provided credibility for hip hop artists. Over the next few months, I plan to discuss my favorite actors and actresses, and highlight some of their best roles. This week, I will discuss Denzel Washington.
Denzel is one of my favorite actors because he is one of the most diverse actors in the history of Hollywood. I have seen him play almost every character under the sun. He has been a slave, a shady police officer, Malcolm X, a famous boxer, an attorney, a war ship captain, an educator, a football coach, and the list goes on and on. In the next few paragraphs, I will try to narrow my favorite roles he has played.
In the Civil War inspired movie, “Glory,” Denzel played a former slave (“Trip”) who was angry at the world. Trip had escaped slavery and become a part of the first all black unit in the military during the Civil War. Trip challenged authority at all levels and had serious trust issues. However, throughout the movie, his character was developed and viewers were able to see why he was so angry. By the end of the movie, he was a leader within his unit and volunteered to carry his unit’s flag into battle. My favorite scene in this movie is when Trip snuck out of military barracks to get food. He was caught, and whipped in front of his unit. I do not like the scene because of the whipping, but rather because you could almost feel the pain of our ancestors who endured through slavery. After the flogging, he shed one single tear. That is a powerful scene.
In the movie, “Malcolm X,” Denzel played the role of Malcolm X. There are certain movies and certain actors who have an uncanny ability to transform themselves into the character they are portraying to the point that they are no longer portraying a character; they are that person. I believe Jamie Foxx achieved this in “Ray,” Will Smith achieved it in “Ali,” and Denzel achieved it in “Malcolm X. I have many favorite scenes in the movie. My all time favorite scene from the movie occurs when X is riding in his car, and he knows his death is imminent. “A change gonna come” by Sam Cooke played simultaneously, and I believe everyone in the theater knew what was about to happen.
In “American Gangster,” Denzel played drug kingpin, Frank Lucas. Frank Lucas sold more drugs and ruined his community more than most people during the 1970’s. Denzel did an excellent job portraying him though. The role was definitely different than any role I had seen him play. Frank Lucas had a serious temper and it did not take much to make him go off. On the other hand, he was a family man and he believed family should always be a person’s number one priority. In many respects, Lucas’ struggle with providing for him family, while selling death made his character very interesting. I imagine many people who perform unsavory, illegal acts justify or rationalize their behavior in a similar manner. He justified his “dirt” as a means to provide for his family. This movie has some really good scenes. In one scene, Frank Lucas gets upset at his brother’s limousine driver. His brother’s limousine driver disrespected one of his houseguests, and Frank was not a happy man. Let us just say he “roughed” the guy up a bit. The funniest scene occurred when he instructed a person to clean up the blood from the floor. He said, and I am paraphrasing, “you don’t rub that, you blot that, that is alpaca!!!” That scene is very funny to me.
I could probably name 10 more roles that I really like, but I will not. Denzel is definitely one of my favorite actors of all time.
Peace
No comments:
Post a Comment