My review for MSN Movies. And there's a bonus: a video interview with Denzel Washington in which the smart-ass interviewer (that would be me) invokes Augusto Pinochet, and then scrabbles to dig himself out of the resultant hole.
“Safe House”
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Ryan Reynolds is good in DICK (as Haldeman’s son?), but it’s been downhill from there. Totally lacking in charisma.
I would love to see Sean William Scott in one of the Ryan Reynolds-ish “dramatic” parts, as I am one of about eight people on the planet (not including Mr. Scott’s agent?) who thinks he is one decent role away from being a perfectly good dramatic actor.
Well, THE NINES isn’t great shakes as a film, but as a showcase for Reynolds as an actor, his charisma, and his range, it certainly (at least partially) reversed my dismissive opinion of him.
Washington is so good in Spike Lee’s movies, but too many other directors just use him as “dude with good voice”. I’m not sure he’ll ever top that incredible performance in HE GOT GAME (that moment where he just opens and closes his SRO door and laughs!), though INSIDE MAN is pretty great.
I agree with Mr. Russell about THE NINES, and with Mr. Gross about Seann William Scott, who was quite good in the underrated THE PROMOTION and the ghastly SOUTHLAND TALES.
I often get the feeling while watching a Denzel Washington movie that he has no interest in what the other performers are saying to him. The impression I usually get is that he seems to try and one up whoever he is performing with which becomes a way of acting at his cast mates instead of acting with them. I do think he can be skilled actor, but for my personal taste he often strikes me as trying to hog the scene.