Denzel Washington’s First Movie Star Performance Came In A Film No One Saw

If this is the first you’re hearing of “The Mighty Quinn,” that’s not on you. A beleaguered MGM half-heartedly distributed the neo-noir over President’s Day in 1989, and, despite rave reviews from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert (which meant a lot back then), it fizzled out and disappeared from theaters. A film of such quality tended to find its audience through home video and cable back then, but “The Mighty Quinn” never caught on.

So 35 years after its bungled release, this colorful Caribbean thriller starring Washington, Robert Townsend, and Mimi Rogers is ripe for rediscovery. Why should you bother? Pretend it’s 1989, and all you know of Washington is “Carbon Copy,” “A Soldier’s Story,” and “Cry Freedom.” You happen across this stylish thriller on HBO and see Washington, in the opening scene, suavely take down a knife-wielding assailant with a spin kick and a smile. Then, like the James Bond we deserved and never got, he struts over to his woman who’s been watching him ply his sexily lethal trade. This ludicrously handsome devil keeps grinning because he knows he’s got it like that. He’s Chief Inspector Xavier Quinn, and he’s the law on this Caribbean island.

Quinn falls prey to hubris, and bottoms out in front of a community that trusts him to fight for them, but we’ve got a feeling about this guy and we’ve definitely got a feeling about Washington. He’s going to come through. It’s a rare feel-good film noir, and those vibes are off the charts when Washington is sharing the screen with Rogers’ femme fatale. This film’s time is long overdue.

We spoke more about “The Mighty Quinn” on today’s episode of the /Film Daily podcast, where we ranked our Top 5 Denzel Washington performances:

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