Denzel packs a punch in new role

Denzel Washington in a scene from the movie Safe House.

Jasin Boland- UPI Media

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Safe House
Overview

• Stars: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga.
• Director: Daniel Espinosa
• Rating: M
• Reviewer's last words: This Bourne-style thriller is a white-knuckle ride featuring a wonderfully dark performance by Washington and proving Reynolds has the chops to play a lead action man.

DENZEL Washington continues his run of action thrillers with his latest film Safe House.

The two-time Oscar winner plays former CIA operative turned fugitive Tobin Frost, who goes on the run with young CIA agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) after the safe house he is being held in is compromised.

It was a physical shoot for both lead actors, with Reynolds accidentally giving Washington a black eye during a car chase scene.

In this Q&A, 57-year-old Washington talks about the challenges of working on Safe House and why he decided to take the role.

Q: What attracted you to this film?

A: My late agent, Ed Limato, passed away last July and this was the last project that he wanted me to take a look at it. I just felt I should do it because I knew it was the last thing he wanted me to do.

Q: Did you have a hand in developing the story?

A: Daniel Espinosa (director), Scott Stuber (producer), three different writers and I worked on the story for months. We wanted to keep going deeper, making more sense out it. I'm a logic monster. I always want to know why things happen the way they do.

Q: How is it working with director Daniel Espinosa?

A: Daniel is a fine filmmaker. He did Snabba Cash (English title Easy Money) and it's a really interesting film. I'm sure Hollywood is looking at Daniel as the new hot guy. He's very passionate and very talented.

Q: What's been the most difficult aspect of filming on Safe House?

A: I've got a bad knee and there's been a lot of running, jumping and fighting. And I was water-boarded. Having somebody poor water up your nose when you're upside down is kind of tough.

Q: Do you see your character as a villain?

A: I see him as a sociopath. I've been researching and learned that 80 percent of sociopaths aren't violent, they just want to dominate. Tobin doesn't think he's a villain. He thinks he's right and everybody else is wrong.

Safe House is in cinemas now.

Vera Farmiga

Quirky facts

• Grew up in a Ukrainian-speaking enclave in New Jersey and did not learn English until she was 6.
• Best known for: Up in the Air, Touching Evil, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
• You will like this movie if you like these… Haywire, The Adjustment Bureau, Enemy of the State
• Quote: "I just can't feel lukewarm about a character. I either despise her, admire her, or don't understand her and want to understand her."

Reviews

Shame

• Stars: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale.
• Rating: MA 15+
• In Cinemas: now

Brandon is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. A fascinating look into addiction with powerful performances by Fassbender and Mulligan.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace in 3D

• Stars: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman.
• Rating: PG
• In Cinemas: now

Not our favourite of the series when it originally came out back in 1999, but Star Wars fans will enjoy the 3D visuals, particularly in the desert racing scenes.

This Means War

• Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Chelsea Handler.
• Rating: M
• In Cinemas: Thursday

Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are charming and fairly believable in their roles as CIA operatives who fall for the same woman. Reese Witherspoon is verging on being too old for this role but manages to pull it off reasonably well.