Beverly Hills Cop II (1987): This underrated hit sequel to the Eddie Murphy classic finds his wisecracking cop Axel Foley avenging the murder of his buddy police captain on the West Coast.
The Last Boy Scout (1991): Damon Wayans teams up with Bruce Willis as a washed-up football player and private detective trying to find the killer of Wayan’s love interest (played by an up-and-coming Halle Berry).
Crimson Tide (1995): A real thinking man’s action film — this submarine thriller pits Gene Hackman’s hawkish submarine captain against his more cautious second in command, played by a debonair Denzel Washington.
The Fan (1996): Wesley Snipes played a star San Francisco Giants ballplayer being stalked by a psychotic knife saleman played by the one and only Robert De Niro.
Enemy of the State (1998): Will Smith effectively plays an innocent man caught in the middle of nefarious government intrigue when he is slipped video of an assassination without his knowledge.
Man on Fire (2004): A real sleeper success for Scott (pictured, left) and Denzel Washington, this highly stylized revenge thriller featured the Oscar winner as a ruthless killer turned bodyguard in search of a kidnapped girl (Dakota Fanning).
Déjà Vu (2006): In this twisty (and some would argue convoluted) crime thriller, Denzel Washington plays an ATF agent who actually travels back in time to prevent a terrorist attack in New Orleans.
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009): This remake of the 1974 classic crime film featured a subway-based face-off between Denzel Washington’s lowly MTA employee and a vicious criminal played by toupee-less John Travolta.
Unstoppable (2010): Denzel and Scott’s second straight train-related picture was an even bigger hit and, tragically, the late director’s last film. It’s based on an exciting true life story about two conductors who successfully stop a runaway train.
Director Tony Scott, to the shock and sadness of Hollywood and moviegoers, committed suicide this past weekend by jumping off the Los Angeles bridge. He was only 68 years old, yet he’d made 16 films, many of which starred some of the biggest names in black Hollywood.
Denzel Washington was his most frequent collaborator; the pair made five films together, virtually all of them hits. Scott also worked with Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Damon Wayans and Will Smith.
As friends, collaborators and fans weigh in on his tragic death, take a look back with theGrio at his high-profile work with African-American actors.
