It’s that time of year, everyone. Not get-trampled-over-a-discounted-flat-screen time. Not even answer-awkward-questions-from-relatives-about-who-you’re-dating time. No, it’s the time of year when studios release their sure-fire nomination grabbers in hopes of luring huge audiences. Of the many selections hitting screens, Robert Zemeckis’ Flight stands out. It’s the Forrest Gump director’s first live-action feature since Cast Away, backed by an ovation-worthy performance from the one and only Denzel Washington as an alcoholic airline pilot—a performance which is predicted to earn him an Oscar come February. Watching Flight, it’s easy to label Washington the greatest to ever grace the silver screen. But before such a conclusion can be drawn, one actor must be considered; the only man who can truly rival Washington’s screen presence: Sir Morgan Freeman (Is he knighted? No? He should be.). Washington may be currently experiencing buzz, Freeman’s 2013 schedule is already packed. But Hollywood ain’t big enough for the both of ‘em, and that means it’s time to take a look back at some of their respective best. That’s right: it’s time for a showdown.
DENZEL WASHINGTON:
Remember the Titans (2000)
Based on the true story of the 1971 T.C. Williams High School football season, Remember the Titans is right up there with Rudy as one of the most uplifting sports films of all time. It has all the necessary elements: strong supporting actors, powerful addressing of early 1970s racial tension; and, of course, a livewire performance from Washington as Herman Boone, a black man who faces opposition from the community when he takes over the head coaching position as a result of racial integration. The whole movie is unforgettable, but his speech to the team after a midnight run to Gettysburg really lingers.
Training Day (2001)
Training Day was the first time the world saw Denzel Washington as an antagonist. It was odd sensation, wanting so badly to cheer him on yet being disgusted by his character’s behavior. But the performance as crooked Los Angeles detective Alonzo Harris earned him an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role and cemented his position in the cop film canon. The iconic scene in which Harris tricks a rookie cop (Ethan Hawke) into smoking PCP-laced marijuana is a deft blend of disturbing and amusing, almost entirely a result of Washington’s undisputed acting chops.
Man on Fire (2004)
What is Denzel Washington if not an action star? Man on Fire finds Washington as John Creasy, a CIA-operative-turned-bodyguard living in Mexico City, hired to protect a businessman’s daughter (Dakota Fanning). The plot is nothing special: Fanning’s character is kidnapped for ransom, and Creasy decides the best way to recover her is—you guessed it—lots and lots of guns. The movie wins, however, because of Washington’s unflappable resolution paired with the vulnerability that surfaces as he interacts with a nine-year-old girl. That’s a tough combination to pull off, but Washington doesn’t break a sweat.
MORGAN FREEMAN:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Before he landed a job narrating Visa’s Super Bowl commercials, Morgan Freeman lent his voice and magnetic screen presence to 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption. With his performance as a wise prison inmate, he coined some of the most well-known quotes in film history and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His final monologue when facing a parole board—“You go on and stamp your form, Sonny, and stop wasting my time.”—is likely to be on anyone’s list of powerful scenes. It’s too bad they can only hand out one Oscar, because Freeman lost to Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump.
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Forget Oscar nominations and snobby critics—a conversation about Morgan Freeman is incomplete without addressing his role as God (sporting a slick white suit) in 2003’s Bruce Almighty and its 2007 sequel Evan Almighty. It was a real treat to see Freeman so relaxed and clearly enjoying himself as he toyed with both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, respectively. The movies themselves were widely panned by critics, but Freeman’s performance has become an indelible part of pop culture. Sure, a handful of other actors could have successfully pulled off God, but why would you want anyone else?
Invictus (2009)
Freeman nabbed another Best Actor nomination for his tour de force as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood’s Invictus. The casting decision felt spot-on, as Freeman was perhaps the only actor with both the force and following (and uncanny resemblance to the beloved South African leader) to do the role justice. Portraying a person who is still living has to be a daunting task, and the job may well have been too much for a lesser actor to handle. But Freeman filled Mandela with gravity and quiet power, and his Oscar snub in favor of Jeff Bridges was controversial to say the least.
Denzel vs. Morgan: a cinematic standoff
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Denzel vs. Morgan: a cinematic standoff
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