Safe House

R for rogue agents, roguish actors, utter disregard for the fate of the South African tourism industry

Release Date: February 10, 2012

 

Denzel Washington is 57 years old. When our current president was born, Denzel was in third grade.

He’s spent 38 years as an actor – exactly half the time that Pluto spent as a planet. He’s stood up for the oppressed, fought against his own oppression, and even done a little oppressing himself. He’s portrayed morally ambiguous villains, morally ambiguous heroes, and beacons of moral clarity in morally ambiguous times. He’s won Oscars and been robbed of Oscars, all since making his auspicious onscreen debut in the uncredited role of “Alleyway Mugger.”

Now, he’s back to doing three of the things he does best: 1) Action; 2) Giving a nuanced performance with occasional notes of “psychopath”; 3) Being much more charismatic than his costar.