Every Denzel Washington Movie Ranked Worst To Best

The film that kicked off his partnership with Spike Lee, Mo' Better Blues casts Denzel Washington as a passionate but impulsive trumpeter who constantly messes up his chances for success.

Washington plays Bleek Gilliam as a man at odds with himself, but aware of his talents, and makes his journey both frustrating and sad in the process.

Watching Mo' Better Blues after all this time - and remembering this was a film released just after his Oscar win - it's clear why Lee took to Washington so strongly, and how the actor became such an icon going into the 90s.