1. Brooklyn's Finest
   Training Day
2. The Equalizer
   The Mighty Quinn

Out of all the roles he's played, Denzel Washington has said on more than one occasion that playing Detective Alonzo Harris is his favorite. He even took on the look of the police officer that Harris was based on.

1. Antwone Fisher
   Glory
2. Malcolm X
   Man on Fire

One marketing campaign for the film came in the form of Spike Lee telling kids to skip school to see his film. He believed that the movie would provide just as much education as their school day would.

1. Philadelphia
   Power
2. The George McKenna Story
   Virtuosity

In order to encourage people that were unfamiliar with AIDS to see the movie, the director enlisted the help of Bruce Springsteen. By incorporating his song into the film, people who wouldn't normally see the movie went just because of Springsteen's role in things.

1. American Gangster
   Lawless
2. The Departed
   Blow

The production of this movie called for filming 360 scenes in over 150 locations. While filming in Chiang Mai, some of the extras were participants in the real-life drug operation of Frank Lucas.

1. Cry Freedom
   Glory
2. Flight
   Fences

At one point during the movie, Washington's character is seen getting whipped. While it didn't cut up his back, the actor is legitimately getting lashed in this scene, making the lone tear that runs down his cheek entirely authentic.

1. Fallen
   The Preacher's Wife
2. Virtuosity
   Ricochet

Denzel Washington starred alongside Whitney Houston in this film. It's a remake of the holiday classic "The Bishop's Wife." Washington took on the role originally played by Cary Grant.

1. Much Ado About Nothing
   Courage Under Fire
2. Training Day
   Remember the Titans

During one scene in the film, a brick is thrown through a window at Coach Boone's house. In reality, it was an old toilet that broke his window, but directors thought this would detract from the serious tone of the movie.

1. Inception
   Clash of the Titans
2. The Book of Eli
   The Town

In order to be properly prepared for his role, Denzel Washington studied martial arts from Dan Inosanto. Under his tutelage, Washington was able to perform all of his own stunts in the movie's fight sequences.

1. Remember the Titans
   The Great Debaters
2. The George McKenna Story
   Flash of Genius

While the movie shows the Wiley College debate team defeating Harvard College, this is incorrect. In actuality, Wiley College defeated the University of Southern California debate team.

1. Training Day
   Man on Fire
2. Sully
   Flight

Even though he was playing an alcoholic on-screen, Washington himself rarely drinks. In fact, during filming, he made a promise to himself to not drink at all, for fear that he would become fascinated with alcohol.

1. The Lone Ranger
   The Equalizer
2. The Magnificent Seven
   True Grit

While filming the remake of "Magnificent Seven," Chris Pratt's film, "Jurassic World," was released. Denzel Washington teased Pratt about his success, and would regularly introduce him on set based on the movie's current earnings that morning.

1. Fences
   Antwone Fisher
2. Concussion
   American Gangster

The main character, Cory, was originally supposed to be played by Eddie Murphy. Because Cory is a teenage boy, however, delays in production quickly prevented Murphy from appearing young enough for the role.

1. Crimson Tide
   The Negotiator
2. Extraordinary Measures
   John Q.

In one particular scene in the film, George W. Bush can be seen on the television discussing healthcare in the United States. Because the election winner wasn't known at the time, this scene was also done with Al Gore footage.

1. Training Day
   American Gangster
2. Man on Fire
   Taken

Denzel Washington was cast in the movie because he went to the doctor at the right time. While he was waiting for his appointment, Washington ran into director Tony Scott and the rest is history.

1. The Hurricane
   The Bone Collector
2. Taking Lives
   Fallen

While filming for the movie, there were nude scenes done with Angelina Jolie. However, before finalizing the movie, they were cut from the reel for fear of being too distracting from the story line.

1. Man on Fire
   Unstoppable
2. The Taking of Pelham 123
   Deja Vu

Even though it wasn't based on a true story, the movie still influenced the New York Transit Authority. For years after the release of the original movie, schedule planners were not allowed to have a train leave Pelham at 1:23.

1. Mile 22
   Safe House
2. The Equalizer 2
   John Wick

While Denzel Washington has a large number of film and television credits to his name, "The Equalizer 2" was the first sequel performed by the actor. During filming, members of the crew even called it "The Sequelizer."

1. 2 Guns
   Flight
2. John Q.
   The Bone Collector

There are said to be a few different inspirations for this movie. "2 Guns" was the name of a graphic novel by Steven Grant that the movie is based on. However, there's also speculation that this film may have been inspired by another movie, "Charley Varrick."

1. Ricochet
   Crimson Tide
2. Unstoppable
   The Hurricane

Denzel Washington had to lose 60 pounds in preparation for the role. Even with this weight loss, however, he still weighed 40 pounds more than the actual Rubin Carter during his boxing career.

1. Book of Eli
   Safe House
2. Inside Man
   Out of Time

Whether it was on purpose or not, at one point in the film, Detective Frazier can be heard saying "I'm listening." Frasier Crane, from the sitcom "Frasier," says the very same thing on his radio show.

1. Courage Under Fire
   The Bone Collector
2. John Q.
   The Pelican Brief

Based on the novel with the same name, the two main characters are supposed to fall in love. Washington felt that this should stay out of the movie, however, because he thought an interracial relationship would distract from the story.

1. Criminal
   Safe House
2. The Equalizer
   Dead Man Down

Denzel Washington has a tendency to fulfill any stunts within his movie roles. "Safe House" was no exception. While it was only for a few seconds at a time, Washington was waterboarded during his character's torture scene.

1. Inside Man
   Mississippi Masala
2. Jungle Fever
   Mo' Better Blues

Even though he was hired to play the part of a trumpeter, Washington could barely play three notes before filming began. Instead of learning the instrument entirely, he was taught to simply mimic playing the songs in the film.

1. Remember the Titans
   Mo' Better Blues
2. Above the Rim
   He Got Game

The role of Jesus Shuttlesworth was originally offered to Kobe Bryant. While the rookie liked the script and the idea of starring in a movie, he had a vigorous workout regime planned that was more important to his future in the NBA.

1. The Siege
   Crimson Tide
2. Fallen
   Out of Time

Even though the movie was supposed to be based on U.S. Navy submarines, filming with active submarines proved to be problematic. To get some of the scenes, the crew filmed a French submarine instead.

1. Virtuosity
   He Got Game
2. Power
   Carbon Copy

During casting, Paramount Pictures had reached out to Arnold Schwarzenegger about taking on the role of Parker Barnes, but the salary he asked for was far above what the studio was willing to pay.

1. Inception
   Deja Vu
2. Source Code
   Enemy of the State

Hurricane Katrina delayed some of the filming since the story took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Some pieces of the plot were altered or added to work in the damage of the storm to the story.

1. Inside Man
   The Manchurian Candidate
2. Ricochet
   The Preacher's Wife

To be in peak physical form, Washington worked out an excessive amount for the four months prior to filming. He devoted three hours of his day for six days a week to his training regimen.

1. Philadelphia
   Cry Freedom
2. Out of Time
   Dead Man Down

At one point during the movie, audio from the movie "Legally Blonde" can be heard because it's playing on one of the hotel TVs during a fight scene. The audio in question is of the scene where Elle and Warner break up.

1. Notorious
   Men of Honor
2. Antwone Fisher
   Fences

Denzel Washington initially didn't want to star in the movie, but stay in the Director's chair. However, he eventually agreed to fill the starring role as a way to get the film financed.

1. The Manchurian Candidate
   Courage Under Fire
2. Power
   Malcolm X

While promoting the movie, two websites were made. One was explicitly for the movie and its release. The other promoted the fictional Manchurian Global Corporation that's seen in the film.

1. A Soldier's Story
   L.A. Confidential
2. Devil in a Blue Dress
   The Mighty Quinn

This movie was originally supposed to have a love scene with Washington and Beals, but it was cut before it was released. The director feared that it took away from the story and wasn't needed in the film.

1. Courage Under Fire
   A Soldier's Story
2. For Queen & Country
   Glory

In order to appear as emaciated as his character, Matt Damon took on extreme measures. In addition to a very restricted diet, the actor also ran twelve miles a day and drank more than four pots of coffee to keep up his energy.

1. The Mighty Quinn
   Devil in a Blue Dress
2. A Soldier's Story
   The Bone Collector

While the movie focuses on a character who's said to have a $10,000 bill, these bills were taken out of circulation in 1969. Any bill found past that year is considered very rare and worth far more than their face value.

1. Deja Vu
   Source Code
2. The Taking of Pelham 123
   Unstoppable

Denzel Washington performed the stunts that required his character to run along the top of the fast-moving train himself. Even though Washington was wired for safety, there was still a significant risk of injury.

1. Fallen
   The Siege
2. The Sentinel
   Unthinkable

"The Siege" was not met with success when it was released in the theaters, since it portrayed Muslim and Arab individuals as terrorists. However, following 9/11 it was one of the most rented movies of the period.

1. Invictus
   Malcolm X
2. Cry Freedom
   The Color of Freedom

While the film crew attempted to film the movie in South Africa, the political unrest at the time made this nearly impossible. Instead, much of the movie was filmed in Zimbabwe in order to avoid further complications.

1. Deja Vu
   The Siege
2. Out of Time
   Fallen

While preparing for the role, Denzel Washington spent time with a pair of detectives. He learned that they would carry an extra pair of shoes in their trunk, in case the ones they were wearing got blood on them.

1. Heart Condition
   Dead Again
2. The Mighty Quinn
   Much Ado About Nothing

Beyond Washington's role, there are three familiar faces from the "Harry Potter" universe in this movie. The actors who play Gilderoy Lockhart, Sybil Trelawny and Dolores Umbridge can all be seen in this film.

1. Training Day
   Hollywood Homicide
2. The Equalizer
   Heart Condition

The film was very ill-received and never scored a rating over 6/10 on any movie sites that have it listed. It also received 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and was only given two stars by Roger Ebert.