Every Denzel Washington Movie Ranked Worst To Best

In his greatest performance and film, Denzel Washington stars as the late civil rights leader Malcolm X, one of the most engaging and controversial political leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

Over three-and-a-half hours, all of which is painstakingly well-paced by director Spike Lee, Washington captures the empowering stage presence, striking intensity and strong beliefs of Malcolm X as if he knew the man firsthand.

But there's more to it than that: Lee and Washington don't just lean into the legend, but they also tackle the personal, refusing to shy away from X's biggest mistakes or his hidden weaknesses.

Malcolm X is Denzel Washington at his absolute best - his most intense, charming, amusing and formidable - and it will most likely never be surpassed.