Denzel Washington Good or Bad Acting (3 Viewers)

[JuJuNola]

Curious...who do you guys consider to be GREAT actors?

 

[zeetes]

in a non-gay way, or maybe so.., i love me some denzel. when he is at his best, he is really at his best. he does have his share of flops though..

 

[El Caliente]

I have yet to see him do a bad movie. Every movie that he has been in has been good-great.

 

[Saintsi]

How about same actor... in everything he does.

 

[Sun Wukong]

I have yet to see him do a bad movie. Every movie that he has been in has been good-great.

I'm sorry, but that just isn't true:

 

[crosswatt]

I think we are confusing the profession of actor with that of a movie star. Bryan Cranston is an actor. He becomes the role he is playing. Denzel, much like a Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson and a few others, make the role become them to a certain degree. A few movie stars are also accomplished actors, but it is not a requirement. Washington is just a star. People are just drawn to him, and care about the characters he plays. Whether he can act or not is largely inconsequential. I still find his films entertaining.

 

[Suavecito8]

Denzel is a great actor. I would say 95% of his movies are good which is a higher percentage than A LOT of actors out there.

 

[Sun Wukong]

I think most of his movies could more accurately be categorized as inoffensive and bland than "good." He doesn't have that many massive stinkers on his filmography, but he does have a ton of "Oh yeah, I forgot that movie even existed" entries. He's been a part of a lot of very forgettable, very mediocre "thrillers" over the years.

 

[The Mongoose]

I didn't know you like to get wet.

 

[tenordas]

I get the point that the OP is trying to make. He is a good actor, but takes similar roles, so while he is good at what he does, he is very niche.

And there's nothing really wrong with that. Denzel Washington is an excellent actor, but he is "niche" as you say. The truly "great" actors, like Laurence Olivier, Liam Neeson (yes,I know he's been doing basically one tough guy character for his last several films, but over his whole career), Robert Duvall, or Peter Sellers, who can create completely diffferent characters almost to the point one doesn't realize it's the same person are extremely rare. Even excellent actors are somewhat rare, so I don't want to downplay DW's talent just because his characters come off as almost the same person, his talent is top notch. The same could be said for many Oscar winning actors.

I can't find video of it, but there's a great speech by Boris Karloff's character in "Targets" (in which Karloff basically plays himself - an aged horror film star) where he says something to the effect of, "What's wrong with being stereo-typed? It's a guarantee of future work."

 

[Rugger]

I think we are confusing the profession of actor with that of a movie star. Bryan Cranston is an actor. He becomes the role he is playing. Denzel, much like a Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson and a few others, make the role become them to a certain degree. A few movie stars are also accomplished actors, but it is not a requirement. Washington is just a star. People are just drawn to him, and care about the characters he plays. Whether he can act or not is largely inconsequential. I still find his films entertaining.

I think this is the best way to put it. Denzel is a movie star and people are drawn to his on camera persona, but he is not a great actor.

I think Johnny Depp fits in as both. People are drawn to Johnny Depp as a movie star, but he has also shown a wide range of acting ability. From Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka to Gilbert Grape, from George in Blow to Edward Scissor Hands.

He has great acting range to go with appealing star status. He is a rare talent.

 

[cpg]

Curious...who do you guys consider to be GREAT actors?

We had this thread awhile back.

I think Joaquin Phoenix is great when he is on his medication and is not trying to morph into Fozzy the Bear. I also think that Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ben Foster are two fantastic young actors that are excellent at film selection. Paul Giamatti is also exceptional. And while I don't think of him as being one of the best, John Cusack is a personal favorite of mine.

As for actresses, I would have to say John Travolta.

As far as Denzel, there is no one better at playing Denzel Washington than him. But let's face it, until proven otherwise, he's better at picking roles that he knows he can play capably than he actually is at acting. Just my opinion.

 

[Semper]

I'd have to say my favorite actor is johnny depp. The man is a chameleon.

 

[bornnraisedwhodat]

I dont know, I think you guys missed out on some of his stellar performances. Mo Better Blues, the Devel in a Blue Dress, Inside Man, Crimson Tide, Philidelphia, Mississippi Masala....dude has done some outstanding performances. I know a lot of his stuff in the last 10 or so years have been similar roles, but dude definetily has range with his acting.

 

[Semper]

I see he has a movie coming out called "2 Guns" with Mark Wahlberg that looks pretty freakin good.

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