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Stephen A. Smith is one of the most notable sports commentators working today. As the host of ESPN’s “First Take” and “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” he is known for speaking his mind firmly (and often loudly). Whether it’s hating on the Dallas Cowboys or expressing his thoughts on who the best athlete in “SpongeBob Squarepants” would be, the man isn’t afraid to say precisely what he thinks. As far as movies go? Smith recently demonstrated good taste by naming two Denzel Washington classics when listing his personal favorite films ever made during a conversation with Letterboxd.
Smith was asked to name his four favorite movies of all time, and after a moment of hesitation, Smith mentioned “Gladiator” first, with the commentator even doing Russell Crowe’s famous “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius” speech from memory, which demonstrated that he was very serious about that particular pick. Then Smith got to his Denzel Washington faves, listing 2001’s “Training Day” in the second slot. In addition to being the film that finally won Washington his long-overdue Oscar, “Training Day” is also one of Denzel’s most rewatchable movies. A fine pick, indeed.
Smith then want on to boldly declare that there is “no bigger fan of Tom Cruise” than him before listing 1996’s “Jerry Maguire” as another of his all-time faves. Given Smith’s ties to the NFL, this choice makes a great deal of sense. But then he seemingly changed his mind to go with 1992’s courtroom drama “A Few Good Men,” which is an unquestioned classic.
Finally, rounding out his top four, Smith circled back to Washington by citing 1992’s “Malcolm X,” which was directed by Spike Lee. Despite being widely regarded as one of Washington’s best performances, “Malcolm X” very glaringly did not net him an Oscar win that year. Be that as it may, Smith once again demonstrated good taste with this selection.
Stephen A. Smith calls Denzel Washington the greatest actor ever
What’s interesting about Smith’s picks is that they are varied. “Gladiator” is a Best Picture winner and arguably one of Ridley Scott’s best films. It’s also a historical epic and quite unlike anything else on his list. Interestingly enough, it’s also tangentially connected to Washington as the actor is set to appear in “Gladiator II,” which has received praise thus far from early screenings.
Even looking specifically at his Washington picks, “Training Day” and “Malcolm X” are both amongst his best performances, but they’re wildly different films. “Training Day” is a gritty cop drama directed by Antoine Fuqua that is a popcorn movie with a lot on its mind. “Malcolm X” is an unflinching biopic through Spike Lee’s very unique filter. Both great films, both featuring Washington at the top of his game.
Smith, speaking further, went so far as to call Denzel Washington the greatest actor ever, something /Film’s Jeremy Smith also once argued. The sports maestro shared his reasoning, while also citing some other acting legends for the sake of comparison:
“Denzel, I believe, is the greatest actor ever. He’s the greatest actor that I have ever seen. He’s phenomenal on a lot of levels. There’s a lot of great ones. The Meryl Streeps of the world. The Morgan Freemans of the world. The list goes on and on but Denzel, to me, is golden.”
“Training Day” is available to rent or buy on Amazon. As for “Malcolm X,” the Criterion Collection Blu-ray is currently on sale via Amazon.
This post was originally published on here
