5 Denzel Washington Flops That Are Still Worth Watching

He's considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, if not all-time, but somehow, even an Oscar-winning legend like Denzel Washington has the occasional off-day at the box office.

Despite starring in gems like "Training Day," "American Gangster," and "Glory" making up some of the best movies in his career, along with the fan-favorite "Equalizer" trilogy, Washington has occasionally released a film that either couldn't compete with what else was on or failed to hit the sweet spot that his other projects have over the years. With that said, even some of the star's most poorly received films are still better than most, and hidden among the deep cuts of Denzel Washington's back catalog resides films that are actually worth a watch.

From forgotten light-horror fare to potential franchise debuts that just didn't take off as well as the star would have liked, here are a handful of Denzel Washington movies you might have skipped but are worth your attention. Take a look and see if a personal favorite of yours made the cut, or if there's one among the group that you can check off your watch list and wonder why it didn't get love from audiences the first time around.

Of all the entries on this list, "Devil in a Blue Dress" might be one of the few projects that could actually get a second life if a daring director wanted to revisit it and if a young lead was brave enough to walk in Washington's footsteps. Directed by Carl Franklin, the film is based on the Walter Mosley novel of the same name and centers on WWII veteran turned private investigator Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins (Washington) who is on the case of a missing woman.

Earning a warm critical reception, the film also earned props for the up-and-coming talent by the name of Don Cheadle as Rawlins' pal, Mouse, who acts like his career depends on it. Unfortunately, its box office take only matched its budget of $16 million, but the project still stands as a forgotten favorite of Washington's filmography.

While Washington's take on Rawlins might not be as popular as it should be, the fictional detective has been at the core of 16 books written by Mosley, and they're all perfect for adapting. With that in mind, stars like Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, or John Boyega (who deserves a franchise of his own after what happened with "Star Wars") could prove to have the same kind of charisma and charm that Washington unloads as Rawlins if they were interested in giving the detective another shot at Hollywood fame.

In what almost feels like a career response to Denzel Washington's regret over turning down the role Brad Pitt made famous in "Seven," "Fallen" is the only horror film in the actor's career. It's also an overlooked gem from the actor that verges on cult classic status.

Directed by Gregory Hoblit, who had already given the world tense thrillers like "Primal Fear” and "Frequency" (add those to your list immediately, as well), "Fallen" casts Washington as a homicide detective out of his depth when he discovers his current target is a demon that can hop from body to body. Stitched together with classic 90s horror elements, including floating POV shots of the entity transferring from character to character, "Fallen" rises higher than it has any right to, thanks to Washington selling the hell out of chasing down a monster that knows the words to The Rolling Stones' "Time Is On My Side."

Even with the added star power of fellow Hollywood legends James Gandolfini, Donald Sutherland, and John Goodman (whose rendition of the Stones' song is a highlight), there wasn't enough for "Fallen" to work at the box office. With a budget of $46 million, it barely warmed theater seats, pulling in just over $25 million. Thankfully, just like the film's antagonist Azazel, "Fallen" has gained a second life thanks to fans showing love for this police thriller with a very possessive nature.

He may have (for the most part) avoided franchise films that don't see him killing henchmen with DIY gear, but one thing that has been rife in Denzel Washington's career are remakes. In addition to his stupidly entertaining effort with "The Equalizer," he also took the lead role in the likes of "The Magnificent Seven," "Man on Fire," and the shifty conspiracy thriller misfire, "The Manchurian Candidate."

Directed by Jonathan Demme, the latter film is a remake of the 1964 classic, which itself was an adaptation of the 1959 novel of the same name, and casts Washington as Bennett Marco, a former U.S. marine brainwashed into assassinating the President-elect.

Besides Washington applying his own star power, the film is packed with talent, including Meryl Streep, yet-to-be "Ray Donovan" stars Jon Voight and Liev Schreiber, as well as Jeffrey Wright, Anthony Mackie, and Pablo Schreiber. Unfortunately, even that line-up wasn't enough at the time of release, and the film only took in just over $96 million on an $80 million budget. Comparisons to the original were unfavorable, but perhaps now, in the current tense global political climate, "The Manchurian Candidate" might strike a nerve more than it did initially and make another welcome watch for an overlooked Washington entry.

Long before Denzel Washington starred opposite Russell Crowe in "American Gangster" (which both actors admit they prefer), the two swapped sides of the law in the futuristic sci-fi thriller "Virtuosity."

Directed by "The Lawnmower Man's" Brett Leonard, the film sees Crowe play the voice of a training program for police called SID 6.7 (Sadistic, Intelligent, Dangerous) that bases its intelligence off of the most notorious serial killers ever known. Washington is the cop tasked with pulling the plug on the sadistic bit of tech, leading to an overly-expensive cat-and-mouse chase through the futuristic year of (checks notes) 1999.

It might look hokey 25 years later, but it's great to see these two acting titans sharing the screen over a decade before they did so under Ridley Scott's watchful eye in 2007. The film also makes for an even more interesting watch when you know that Washington rewrote some of the film to remove the romantic elements between his character and Kelly Lynch's. In fact, even with its behind-the-scenes issues, "Virtuosity" could be given a polish and a software update of its own, given the abilities of technology nowadays. While it made a disappointing $23 million against a $30 million budget, in the right hands, a "Virtuosity" remake could surpass Washington's initial effort.

Incredibly, despite its lackluster reception at the box office upon its release, there's one film at the bottom half of Denzel Washington's financial successes that actually got him some Academy Award attention.

"The Hurricane" followed the true story of boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, who was wrongfully imprisoned on a triple murder charge in 1966. Norman Jewison's film chronicles Carter's harrowing experience behind bars and the struggle he went through to clear his name during his 19-year incarceration. Joining Washington is the supporting talent of Deborah Kara Unger, John Hannah, and Liev Schrieber, the latter of whom he reunited with yet again five years later on "The Manchurian Candidate."

Incredibly, despite the film's success with critics, "The Hurricane" couldn't sweep up a big audience, ultimately earning a meager $73 million off of its $50 million budget. Over time, the movie has grown in popularity thanks to one of Washington's best performances. While it might not have made an impact initially, the film certainly came back swinging in the years that followed. Sure, there might be outings like "Training Day," "Flight," and "Philadelphia" on Washington's resumé, but the Oscar winner's time as Carter is just as worthy of your time and attention.