Thespian Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. started his acting career in off-Broadway productions. After landing his first role on the NBC drama series “St. Elsewhere,” he went on to have a successful film career, receiving praise and awards from critics for movies like “A Soldier’s Story,” “Glory,” “Training Day,” “Cry Freedom,” “Malcolm X,” and “Fences.” The Pelican Brief, Crimson Tide, Remember the Titans, Inside Man, American Gangster, Safe House, and The Equalizer trilogy are just a few of the commercial films in which Denzel has starred.

In addition to continuing to perform on stage, he has produced and directed numerous projects over the years. Denzel has received multiple honors over the years, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025, the Honorary Palme d’Or in 2025, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016. The following list will be helpful if you’re getting ready to explore Denzel Washington’s work on Netflix.

1. The Equalizer 2 (2018)

With “The Equalizer 2,” director Antoine Fuqua made a direct follow-up to his 2014 film of the same name. With the assistance of his best friend and former coworker, Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo), Denzel Washington returns to his role as Robert McCall, a man with a dark past who continues to work as a vicious vengeful angel. After the latter is killed in a prearranged attack, Roberts confronts a group of expert assassins who want to kill him. The vigilante action thriller can be streamed here.

2. The Equalizer (2014)

“The Equalizer,” which is based on the 1980s television series of the same name, centers on Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), a man with a mysterious past who wants to live a quiet life working at a home improvement store. He makes friends with Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl who is later abused by Russian mob members, while they are reading a book at a diner. Robert chooses to break out of his self-imposed retirement after seeing her in the hospital and unleashes hellfire on those who are accountable as well as those who prey on the weak and defenseless.

3. Safe House (2012)

Denzel Washington plays Tobin Frost, a top-tier CIA agent who has gone rogue in Daniel Espinosa’s film “Safe House.” He is apprehended by the group in Cape Town, South Africa, and taken to a safe house where rookie agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) has been stationed for a long time to be questioned. When mercenaries attack the safe house, Matt’s longing to take to the field is fulfilled. Matt and Tobin make their getaway, with Tobin speculating that a mole inside enabled the attack. Matt goes on the run with Tobin to solve the case, but he can’t bring himself to trust him completely.

4. Hard Lessons (1986)

Originally titled “The George McKenna Story,” Eric Laneuville’s biographical film “Hard Lessons” follows George McKenna (Denzel Washington) as he assumes the role of principal at George Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles. As he deals with indifferent students and unconcerned parents and teachers, it turns into a pivotal moment in his career. George sets out to turn the school from a scene of gang warfare into a respectable educational institution with the assistance of teacher Bobbie Maxwell (Lynn Whitfield).

5. Inside Man (2006)

Spike Lee’s “Inside Man” begins with criminal mastermind Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) attempting to carry out the ideal Wall Street bank heist. The NYPD’s hostage negotiator, Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), shows up when the situation turns into a hostage situation. Madeleine White (Jodie Foster), a fixer for the bank’s founder Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), obstructs his work because he wants all police attention directed toward safeguarding his safe deposit box.

6. 2 Guns (2013)

Baltasar Kormákur’s film “2 Guns,” which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Steven Grant and Mateus Santolouco, centers on US Navy SEAL Michael Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) and DEA Special Agent Robert Trench (Denzel Washington). They rob a bank together after running into each other while both are undercover as seasoned criminals. Manny “Papi” Greco, a Mexican drug lord, owns the aforementioned bank, and the two are astounded by the enormous quantity of money they discover. When the underworld comes clamoring for the money, they reunite after learning each other’s true identities.