In Denzel Washington‘s latest action film 2 Guns, Paula Patton joins him on screen as Deb. She’s a fellow DEA Agent and his on-and-off lover, who is pulled into a complicated scheme after he decides to use her house as a holding cell. When asked why he did, Washington’s character, Bobby Trench replies, “You said I could drop by any time.” In 2 Guns, Patton matches Washington line for line, as many of his costars do. And he’s not afraid to share the screen with a strong female character.
Check out our list of Denzel Washington’s best leading ladies after the jump. 2 Guns will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD Tuesday, November 19.
In Man On Fire, Washington plays Creasy, a former CIA operative and assassin hired to protect tiny Pita Ramos, played by Dakota Fanning. Fanning was just 9-years-old in the film, but she and Washington had no trouble communicating. They shared some special moments, including one where she tells him that she is not afraid of him. When she asks if he is afraid of her, he says, “I used to be at first, but not anymore.”
Mila Kunis costars in The Book Of Eli, where she and Eli (Washington) navigate through a post-apocalyptic wasteland defending the last known copy of the Bible. They fight off robbers, cannibals, and a nefarious politician on their trek across North America. Kunis’ character, Solara, learns about faith and fearlessness, and eventually continues Eli’s legacy.
2 Guns is not the first time Paula Patton has acted opposite Washington. In Deja Vu, she plays Claire Kuchever, a woman doomed to death if she is not saved by ATF Agent Doug Carlin (Washington) ahead of time. The time-travel thriller also features a love story, as attraction develops between the two. In the film, Carlin asks her, “What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they wouldn’t believe you?” Claire says, “I’d try.”
The Preacher’s Wife is a classic holiday film that stars Denzel Washington as Dudley, a Godsend who is called to help Reverend Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) save his church and his marriage. But along the way, Dudley charms Henry’s wife, Julia, played by Whitney Houston. When Dudley realizes he is falling in love, he averts his efforts and fixes the family’s problems and gives them an ornate Christmas tree, before erasing their memory of him.
In Angelina Jolie‘s breakout role, she is Amelia Donaghy, a young police officer who happens upon a crime scene set by a serial killer. Lincoln Rhyme (Washington), who was once the city’s best forensics expert, is confined to a hospital bed and a computer and is plotting an assisted suicide, when he learns of the case. He and Donaghy work together to solve the case and find The Bone Collector.
In American Gangster, Frank Lucas (Washington) has a beautiful wife, Eva (Lymari Nadal). But it is Ruby Dee who steals the show as Mama Lucas. She delivers a poignant speech in the film, where she tells Frank, after slapping him, “Do you want to make things so bad for your family that they’ll leave you? Because they will. I will leave you.” Dee was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role.
Kimberly Elise stars in John Q as a hostage-taker’s wife, Denise. When the family is out of money and out of options, and the hospital tells her they plan to release their son to die, she calls John and tells him that he must do something. Her emotion in the film is heartfelt, even when it is reserved. She famously tells insensitive hospital administrator Rebecca Payne (Ann Heche), “I would tell you what I think of you, but I am a Christian woman.”
In possibly Washington’s most famous film, Malcolm X, Angela Bassett plays his devoted and loving wife, Betty Shabazz. In the powerful assassination scene, we see her, scream in fear and clutch her children, as the room erupts in gunfire. She then crouches over his lifeless body, sobbing and yelling, “They killed him!” When she stops crying, the audience is left wondering who she is referring to, when she says “they.”