Antoine Fuqua's Life in Film: From the Beginning to The Equalizer

From Bait to Olympus Has Fallen, a look at Antoine's work.

Antoine Fuqua - He’s one of the best action directors in Hollywood, but Antoine Fuqua has the added distinction of bringing Oscar buzz to his gritty, testosterone-charged films — especially when they star Denzel Washington. In anticipation of the duo’s latest collaboration, The Equalizer in theaters September 26, we’re talking a look back at Fuqua’s life in film.If there were any films we left off the list, tell us using #TheEqualizer.(Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images for BET)
The Replacement Killers (1998) - After spending years as a successful music video director,Fuqua made his feature film debut with this action thriller. Starring Hong Kongsuperstar Chow Yun-Fat as a deadly Chinese assassin forced to take a job with apowerful underworld boss in order to protect his family, Fuqua’s goal was tocreate a “Taxi Driver for the 1990s.” With its slick cinematography andcarefully choreographed action sequences, the film put Fuqua on the map as avisionary action director.(Photo: Columbia Pictures)
Bait (2000) - Jamie Foxx stars as an inept, small-time crook who getslured into an FBI takedown of a criminal mastermind in this action comedy. Whilethe film wasn’t a favorite with most critics, it did have a vocal fan in RogerEbert, who called it an “an over-the-top exercise in comedy that cuts loosefrom logic and enjoys itself.”(Photo: Castle Rock Entertainment)
Training Day (2001) - This gritty cop drama marks the first collaboration between Fuqua and Denzel Washington, and earned the veteran actor an Oscar for his portrayal of a Los Angeles narcotics detective who frequently crosses the line to the wrong side of the law. The film was both critically acclaimed and a box office hit, making Washington the first Black actor since Sidney Poitier to win the Best Actor prize at the Academy Awards.(Photo: Warner Bros)Tears of the Sun (2003) - As a Navy SEAL sent on a search-and-rescue mission in war-torn Nigeria, Bruce Willis has a tough choice to make: follow the orders of his command, or go rogue and save the lives of innocent locals. Guess which path he chooses? Fuqua goes high-minded and political in this follow-up to his breakthrough hit Training Day.(Photo: Revolution Studios)

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The Replacement Killers (1998) - After spending years as a successful music video director,Fuqua made his feature film debut with this action thriller. Starring Hong Kongsuperstar Chow Yun-Fat as a deadly Chinese assassin forced to take a job with apowerful underworld boss in order to protect his family, Fuqua’s goal was tocreate a “Taxi Driver for the 1990s.” With its slick cinematography andcarefully choreographed action sequences, the film put Fuqua on the map as avisionary action director.(Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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