John David Washington is quickly becoming one of the most talented and sought after movie stars in Hollywood. After landing the breakout role as Ricky Jerret in HBO’s hit series Ballers, in 2015, Washington went on to star in five major motion pictures from 2017 to 2018. Of course, Washington can currently be seen on the big screen in Christopher Nolan’s newest blockbuster, Tenet.
So far in his young career, John David Washington (the son of Denzel Washington) has appeared in eight feature films. Next on the docket for Washington is the political thriller Born to Be Murdered and the romantic drama Malcolm and Marie, both of which are currently in postproduction. Here’s a look at how his eight feature films rank on IMDb.
All Rise (2018) 5.0
Among the four films Washington appeared in 2018, All Rise (aka Monster) is the lowest-rated according to IMDb. The film explores the legal battle a young Black man faces when falsely accused of murder at the age of 17.
Directed by Anthony Mandler, from the award-winning novel by Walter Dean Myers, the film follows “Monster,” a 17-year old honors student and budding filmmaker, whose real name is Steve Harmon. When Steve is accidentally involved in a robbery shooting that ends up in murder, he is accused of a felony. The film depicts the uphill legal fight Steve faces in the wake of being wrongly accused.
Love Beats Rhymes (2017) 5.3
Directed by Wu-Tang Clan founder and super-producer, The Rza, Love Beats Rhymes explores the poetic side of hip-hop lyrics as a therapeutic form of self-expression.
Written by Nicole Jefferson Asher, the film follows Coco (Azealia Banks), a fledgling female rapper finding it difficult to make a name for herself. To hone her craft, Coco enrolls in a poetry class, where she expects to win over her teacher, Professor Dixon (Jill Scott). On the contrary, Professor Dixon challenges Coco to dig deeper and write more meaningful lyrics that speak to her own personal struggle. Washington plays Coco’s crush, Mahlik.
Monsters And Men (2018) 5.8
The timely and topical subject of racial profiling, police brutality, and social injustice takes center stage in Monsters and Men, for which Washington earned an Independent Spirit Award nod for Best Supporting Male.
Written and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the story centers on the police killing of a Black man and is told through the eyes of a witness who captured the incident on film. Washington plays a cop who is subjected to racial discrimination when pulled over by police and is inspired to incite change as a result.
Devil In A Blue Dress (1995) 6.7
Although he went uncredited, Washington appeared alongside his father in the period-set film noir, Devil in a Blue Dress. He plays the “Boy With the Toy Rifle.”
Directed by Carl Franklin from the Walter Mosely novel, the film stars Denzel Washington as Easy Rawlins, a novice private eye hired to find a missing white woman in 1948 Los Angeles. Daphne is engaged to marry mayoral candidate Todd Carter (Terry Kinney), leading Easy into a complex web of murder, political intrigue, corrupt cops, and the like.
The Old Man & The Gun (2018) 6.7
David Lowery’s The Old Man & The Gun tell the unlikely story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), a real-life bank robber who became infamous in the 1970s for a dozen successful prison breaks and his ability to pull off heists without even drawing his gun from his holster.
Upon building a boat and escaping from San Quentin, Tucker meets Jewel (Sissy Spacek), an elderly woman whose simple farm life he admires. Washington plays Lt. Kelley, one of the many lawmen tasked with catching Tucker during his legendary crime spree.
BlacKkKlansman (2018) 7.5
Twenty-five years after appearing in Malcolm X, Washington was cast by Spike Lee to play the lead role as Ron Stallworth in the highly-acclaimed BlacKkKlansman.
Based on an unlikely true story, Ron Stallworth successfully infiltrated the Klu Klux Klan in the early 1970s by impersonating a white man on the telephone with founding member, David Duke. Stallworth does so from Colorado Springs, where he has been named the first Black police officer. When Duke urges Stallworth to meet in person, he sends his white Jewish colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), to go on his behalf.
Malcolm X (1992) 7.7
As alluded to, Washington made his screen debut as “Student in Harlem Classroom” in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X. Starring Denzel Washington as the iconic civil rights activist, the film tells the sweeping history of the man as he comes of age as a child, matures into a leader, and leaves behind a celebrated legacy.
The movie is widely considered one of Lee’s finest films. Denzel Washington earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actor, but lost to Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman.
Tenet (2020) 7.9
While a 7.9/10 rating is subpar for a typical Christopher Nolan movie, Tenet still ranks as the highest-rated film on Washington’s resume, to date. The action-packed, brain-scrambling time-travel film currently sits atop the U.S. box-office and has already amassed more than $100 million globally.
Plot-wise, Tenet is difficult to pin down. Washington plays The Protagonist, a covert CIA operative recruited by an espionage ring called Tenet to help thwart the escalation of World War III.
