The real reason Denzel Washington appeared in so many flops in the ’90s

Denzel Washington’s career He is mostly a model of consistency. Once he officially landed his Oscar-nominated performance as South African activist Steve Biko in “Cry Freedom,” he deftly alternated between prestige roles and purely commercial parts. There were some missteps, but you can at least understand why he signed up for a buddy comedy like “Heart Case”; He hadn’t won an Oscar for “Glory” yet, so the opportunity to act opposite a hugely talented performer like Bob Hoskins certainly seemed attractive in theory. The film is terrible, but neither Washington nor Hoskins phoned him.

However, there was a feeling among some in 1992 that Washington A brilliantly multi-faceted performance in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm It would put an end to nonsense like “heart condition” and “rebound.” It’s interesting to think about what might have happened if the Academy had not designated 1992 as the year to honor Al Pacino who was repeatedly snubbed for his all-screen “Hoo-hah” in “Scent of a Woman.” Would Washington have turned around and made so many more purely commercial plays had he won the Best Actor award he so richly deserved?

Maybe not. Because according to Washington’s career strategy, these films had a certain degree of merit.

In a recent interview with The TimesWashington revealed that he made what some consider questionable decisions because he respects the salary. Per the star, “Well, in life, you learn, you earn and you come back — as in giving back. So, if your life is 90, until you’re 30 you learn, and from 30 to 60 you earn.”

By that measure, Washington’s time to “earn” officially ended in 2014, the year he officially launched his first successful franchise in “The Equalizer” (he tried and failed to get Franchise based on Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins novels Rolling in 1995). This strategy is completely understandable, but does Washington have any regrets about the less interesting films he has produced as a result of working this way? “After ‘Malcolm

Look, no one bought a ticket for “Virtuosity” or “Fallen” or “The Bone Collector” because they were expecting “Malcolm X Part II.” As someone who paid to see all three, I went because I like watching Washington do his thing. As I wrote when Tony Scott movies ratingit’s an absolute pleasure to watch Washington unabashedly play the star. This should not be controversial because this is the goal of the stars! That’s all Cary Grant ever did, and many consider him the platonic ideal of a Hollywood movie star.

Moreover, “Virtuosity” and “Fallen” are not bad movies at all! The former is a half-thoughtful, half-moronic sci-fi action thriller that pits Washington against pre-stardom Russell Crowe, while the latter is a stylish horror thriller with a few unnerving set pieces. However, “The Bone Collector” is straight-up garbage.

However, Washington is still whipping up a storm and has no plans to turn off the gas because, as he announced during the “Gladiator II” press tour, there are two more “Equalizer” movies on the way. They’re unlikely to win Oscars, but they’ll allow us to spend a few hours in Washington’s company, which is a bargain at any cost.