Though Denzel Washington has a legendary acting career with many iconic roles, Gladiator II highlighted where he truly excels. Washington is considered one of the greatest actors of all time, with a career that has seen him remain one of Hollywood’s biggest and most acclaimed stars. In fact, since earning his first Oscar nomination in 1988 for Cry Freedom, Washington has earned at least one Oscar nomination in every subsequent decade. While many felt Washington should have been nominated for Gladiator II, his performance was praised as the movie’s highlight.
Washington’s performance as Macrinus is a towering aspect of Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel. He gets the movie’s most complex character, taking full advantage of that and commanding the screen whenever he is in a scene. In fact, there are times when it feels as though Gladiator II has shifted its focus from the heroic Lucius (Paul Mescal) and made Macrinus the protagonist. Washington is a talented enough actor that he could take just about any role and do something interesting with it, but Gladiator II is a reminder that he plays one type of character exceptionally well.
Denzel Washington Always Shines As A Bad Guy
One Of Washington’s Villainous Roles Led To An Oscar Win
Gladiator II is a reminder that, despite his many outstanding roles, Denzel Washington is always at his best when he is playing the villain. It is true that Washington is very effective at playing heroic figures as well. He has done so with real-life figures, like in Malcolm X and Remember the Titans, giving inspiring and powerful performances. He also found his first franchise, playing the noble action hero in The Equalizer movies. However, Washington is simply a thrill to watch as the bad guy.
The role features similarities as well as great differences with Washington’s famous Oscar-winning villain role in Training Day.
Macrinus in Gladiator II is perhaps the most straightforward villain Washington has played in his career, brilliantly portraying the man pulling the strings behind the scenes and not allowing anyone to stand in the way of his ambitions. He delivers the most exciting scenes in the movie, pulling the audience into his intricate schemes. The role features similarities as well as great differences with Washington’s famous Oscar-winning villain role in Training Day.
Washington’s character of Alonzo Harris in the gritty crime thriller is another character who is playing a different game than the other characters realize. However, while the movie gradually reveals the shocking extent of this LAPD detective’s corruption, Harris is immediately established as a brutal and immoral man, pushing the line of law and order far beyond its threshold.
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However, Washington also delivered an iconic performance playing a real-life villain in American Gangster. As Frank Lucas, Washington plays the caring family man and ambitious businessman, but also embraces the character’s viciousness. The first scene in the movie shows Lucas setting a man on fire and then executing him. It is an immediate promise to the audience that this is not Washington’s typical crowd-pleasing character, which makes it all the more exciting.
Denzel Has Said He Loves Playing Villains
Will Washington Play A Villain Again Soon?
When watching Denzel Washington’s performance in Gladiator II and the other villain roles in his career, it becomes quite clear how much fun the actor is having. While Washington finds authenticity and a grounded sense to all of his characters, he clearly sees these villain characters as a way to give bigger and bolder performances, which is always a thrill to watch. Washington confirmed his love of villain characters, saying:
“Good guys don’t have any fun. Bad guys do have all the fun, especially in movies.”
As much as Washington is having fun with these characters, part of the reason they are such effective performances is that he is making them human. Despite his murderous means, the audience can see the motivations of Macrinus in Gladiator II, coming from a slave himself and taking all the power he can grab. Likewise, Washington shows the desperation in Alonzo Harris and makes the audience root for Frank Lucas. Even in his more heroic roles, Washington is drawn to moral complexity, and his villain characters simply have darker shades of gray.
With Washington enjoying the villain roles as much as the audience, it is possible he could have more roles like this in the future. Washington has discussed appearing in Black Panther 3, and it would be quite special to see him as a Marvel villain. He also has a new heist thriller with Robert Pattinson called Here Comes the Flood, which could provide another darker role. While it is always great to see Washington in any role, hopefully, his next villain character following Gladiator II won’t be a long wait.
8/10
- Release Date
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November 22, 2024
- Runtime
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148 minutes
- Writers
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David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni
