Paramount

In this weekend's "Flight," Denzel Washington attempts to pilot his airplane to a soft landing. There's early talk of a Best Actor nomination, and the film is certainly worth a watch. But what other things has Denzel saved during his long and distinguished career?

From his Academy Award wins in "Glory" and "Training Day" to his Academy Award nominations in "The Hurricane," "Malcom X," and "Cry Freedom," Denzel Washington has gone out of his way, on a number of occasions, to save our bacon. So what makes up a proper Denzel save situation, and what what exactly was he saving with his heroic actions? Look no further, we've got the definitive list! 

(Note: salty NSFW language and spoilers in a few of these clips!)

10. "Fallen": The Rolling Stones
Explanation: Back in 1998, you could get away with thinking it was all over for The Rolling Stones. 1995 featured the ill-conceived "Voodoo Lounge Tour," and in '97 they released "Bridges to Babylon" - earning only middling reviews in the process. So who could save them? Who would be the guy to revitalize their career? None other than Denzel Washington and the movie "Fallen" - which brought them back to their roots and made "Time Is On My Side" extremely creepy. Win-win? Indeed.

9. "American Gangster": Entrepreneurship
Explanation: A steady string of movies have taught us that drugs kill. But what about Denzel's self-determination in "American Gangster?" Where does that fit in? Hard to say, but he definitely saved us from being bored throughout this film. Thanks, Denzel!

8. "Unstoppable": Populated areas
Explanation: By now, you understand the consequences of a missile the size of The Chrysler Building derailing in a populated area. Thankfully, D-Wash understood the stakes too, and even better, he knew when it was time to … (double entendre warning) act.

7. "The Book of Eli": Civilization
Explanation: Most people in Denzel's situation would have given up. He was at quite a disadvantage in "Book of Eli," but his faith kept him strong. How strong? Well, check out the scene below, and keep in mind that Denzel's path was a righteous one, as he was saving the bible for future generations!

6. "Saturday Night Live": Jay Pharoah's Career
Explanation: Jay is currently a full-fledged cast member of "Saturday Night Live" - but his first featured season got off to a rocky start. Until this skit! And who does Jay have to thank for bailing him out of the "SNL" doldrums? None other than Denzel Washington.

5. "He Got Game": Ray Allen
Explanation: Denzel Washington wasn't a good dad to Ray Allen in the movie "He Got Game." But, in a way, and in a certain light, he saved him, because he allowed him to vanquish his villain, telling him to let go of the anger. And then Ray Allen went on to win a championship with the Boston Celtics! Can't be a coincidence, right?

4. "The Hurricane": Justice
Explanation: Denzel Washington's "Hurricane Carter" took a long time to learn some very hard lessons. In "The Hurricane," Denzel somehow still believes in the very system that wrongly imprisoned him. Thankfully, "The Hurricane" saves the best for last.

3. "Training Day": The Art of Storytelling
Explanation: Ethan Hawke won't let Denzel read his paper. So he asks for a story! What follows is pure entertainment, and a master's class in Crazytown, U.S.A.

2. "Remember the Titans": The Team
Explanation: The Titans were in-fighting and apart, but it was time to come together. Denzel had the just the speech they needed, in the process saving the team from total destruction.

1. "Crimson Tide": The World
Explanation: Gene Hackman wanted to nuke the Russians, which would have caused the Russians to nuke us, which would have led to a very bad weekend for everyone. Thankfully, Denzel stepped in to save the day, preaching patience and discretion. World, consider yourself saved!

Getty Images

UPDATE: Earlier reports that claimed Tony Scott was suffering from inoperable brain cancer are currently unconfirmed, with Deadline reporting — via Scott's widow, Donna — that this was not the case at all. A full investigation is underway and an autopsy is pending.

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Tony Scott, director of such hit films as "Top Gun," "Crimson Tide" and "Man on Fire," has died after jumping off a bridge in San Pedro, Calif., on Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles police tell the Los Angeles Times. He was 68.

Earlier reports say a suicide note was found in Scott's car, which was parked on the bridge. The note actually contained contact information, with investigators later finding a suicide note at his office.

Law enforcement officials say that several witnesses saw Scott climb over a fence on the bridge and jump off without hesitation. His body was pulled out of the water by Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard officials.

"I can confirm that Mr. Scott has indeed passed away. The family asks that their privacy be respected at this time," a spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Also check out: Celebs React to This Heartbreaking Loss

Tony Scott was the younger brother of fellow filmmaker Ridley Scott, with whom he founded the production company, Scott Free. After directing several high-profile commercials, he turned his focus to feature films and made his directorial debut with "The Hunger" (1983), a pop art vampire drama starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon.

"The Hunger" would go on to earn a cult following, but Scott really hit the big time with his second feature, "Top Gun" (1986), a perfectly timed Reagan-era summer blockbuster that inspired real-life Navy enlistments to go through the roof. Scott went on to direct the following summer's biggest hit, "Beverly Hills Cop II" (1987).

From there, Scott went on to work with Kevin Costner on the nasty vengeance thriller, "Revenge" (1990), and reunited with Tom Cruise for the NASCAR drama, "Days of Thunder" (1990). He worked with Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans in one of 1991's top guilty pleasures, "The Last Boy Scout," and worked with screenwriter Quentin Tarantino in the 1993 cult favorite, "True Romance."

Scott would begin what would end up being a long-term working relationship with star Denzel Washington with "Crimson Tide" (1995), a Cold War thriller set almost entirely on board a submarine. Scott then worked with Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes in "The Fan" (1996) and reunited with "Crimson Tide" co-star Gene Hackman in the political thriller starring Will Smith, "Enemy of the State" (1998).

After working with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt on another political thriller, "Spy Game" (2001), Scott worked almost exclusively with Denzel Washington, with their second collaboration being the intense kidnapping thriller, "Man on Fire" (2004). They took a break long enough for Scott to direct the Keira Knightley action flick, "Domino" (2005), and then went on to the sci-fi mystery thriller, "Deja Vu" (2006). They also collaborated on the remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" (2009) and last collaborated on the runaway train drama, "Unstoppable" (2010), co-starring Chris Pine.

At the time of his death, Tony Scott had several film projects in development, including his longtime dream project, "Potsdamer Platz," and a sequel to "Top Gun."

The Films of Tony Scott

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Originally published on August 20, 2012 at 12:52 am.

Tony Scott (1944-2012) got started in show biz by calling the shots on commercials before making his feature directorial debut in 1983 with the pop art vampire drama, "The Hunger," starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. Three years later he would make a little movie called "Top Gun" and the rest is Hollywood history.

Check out our collection of pics from the late, great director's filmography, from "The Hunger" to "Unstoppable."

Chris Pine may have begun his career supporting such famous leading ladies as Anne Hathaway and Lindsay Lohan, but it didn't take long for us to notice those piercing blue eyes and bold brows. We wanted more of Pine, and we certainly got it with his roles in the super macho action flicks "Star Trek," "Unstoppable" and "This Means War."

Chris shows that side in the upcoming dramedy "People Like Us" where he plays Sam, a down on his luck salesman who discovers he has a 30-year-old sister after his father passes away. In the movie, Pine's character reconsiders his family, his life and the choices he's made, but we're certain after flipping through this Hot People Looking Hot Gallery, you'll never reevaluate Chris' hotness again.

NextMovie

It's a great week to be nostalgic, with several classic movies being released for the first time on Blue-ray including "Network," "Last Tango in Paris," "The Stranger," "All the President's Men," and "Rainman."

Also new this week: check out "Unstoppable" and a magical "Waiting for Superman" release that pays for itself and makes you a philanthropist!

Fox

In the middle of the 2000s, director Tony Scott must have gone through a serious mid-life crisis, since his films transformed from slick action vehicles ("Top Gun," "Enemy of the State") into strange, double-exposed, borderline experimental visual exercises on mescaline. Those exhausting entries in Scott's flairy "cubist" period ("Man on Fire," "Domino") have been blessedly left behind for his new thriller entry "Unstoppable," and, after his excesses are peeled away, what we're left with is an old pro doing what he does best: SPEED.

Yes, this is one of those well-oiled cinematic machines with a simple enough premise of a runaway freight train carrying deadly chemicals (why is it never the train with Beanie Babies?) and two blue-collar railroad men who heroically risk their hides to stop it.

Those men are affably played by Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, and while the former plays up their age differences a little bit ("This ain't training. In training they just give you an F. Out here you get killed."), once the high stakes plot mechanics kick in most of that is abandoned as if to say, "You've seen that routine before, let's just cut to the chase."

As the two band together to come up with on-the-fly solutions to a literally escalating situation involving child endangerment and potential mass-death catastrophe if the steel monster derails in a populated area. They are aided by a capable dispatcher (Rosario Dawson) and often thwarted by a bigwig corporate honcho (Kevin Dunn) who's only interested in the bottom line, the bastard.

Scott keeps the set pieces rolling so fast, one after the other, to the point where he almost triple-dog-dares you to be bored by the frenetic ticking-clock show he's putting on. There's likable characters performing selfless acts of daring-do on a 70-mile-an-hour locomotive, what more do you want?

Washington delivers a solid, workmanlike performance, and though that sounds like faint-praise, there is something to be said for a star-director team like he and Scott in their fifth collaboration since "Crimson Tide." Their comfort level with this kind of material translates to the audience. You know they're going to deliver, and they do.

While mid-way through some visual fatigue begins to set in (how many ways can you film the inside of a conductor car?), this is a solid ride and a fun 90 minutes, all barely based on true events that happened in Ohio in 2001. The actual real-life story was way, way slower, to put it mildly.

Extras! See how they translated that true story into a way-less boring one with "Tracking the Story: Unstoppable Script Development," as well as commentary by Scott, "Derailed: Anatomy of a Scene," and other bonus feature cargo.

Fox

The thin plot of the recently released "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as engineers who must stop a runaway train, is admittedly a little easy to poke fun at.

But after watching this "Saturday Night Live" spoof starring Jay Pharoah as Washington and Taran Killam as Pine, we're convinced 'SNL' is just looking for any excuse to showcase Pharaoah's pitch-perfect Denzel imitation.

Inspired by true events -- Hollywoodspeak for "this has nothing to do with the actual event" -- the skit plays off the actors' nearly 30-year age difference and the absurdity of involving a group of kids as its potential target. Now we can't wait for Will Smith's latest.

Fox

Chris Pine is ditching the next generation for the American railways.

The erstwhile Captain Kirk is set for massive disaster in November's "Unstoppable," in which he plays train operator Will Colson set on a collision course with co-star Denzel Washington. But even with so much excitement, he doesn't put the breaks on his geek-out sesh with MTV.

In the fresh interview, he spills about how grateful he is to have worked with his idols, Washington and director Tony Scott, dishes on how this role may translate to his "Star Trek" fans and answers the inevitable question of the film's commonality with "Speed."

Read all about it at MTV.com.