I get it. I get it. I get it. They make MONEY. And, after all, Hollywood is in the BUSINESS of ultimately making MONEY. So, what does that mean. It means you get great actors, like Denzel Washington, in POS (piece of shit) movies like his latest, Safe House. OK. Here's the startlingly original plot: Denzel is the CIA's best covert operative but, after being double crossed and labeled as a "rogue" agent, he must go underground for 15 years. When his "safe house" in South Africa is discovered, he plots with rookie agent, played by Ryan Reynolds, to escape the house and hunt down and destroy those who initiated the plot. WTF?! Is this NOT THE SAME OL' TIRED HOLLYWOOD FORMULA? Let's see, legendary agent gets double crossed. He goes rogue. He partners with a wide-eyed rookie to hunt down and kill the perpetrators before they hunt down and kill him. Is it me or does Hollywood release at least 3 or 4 of these freakin' movies every freakin' YEAR?!! Oh, and when they want to give it a really new "twist", instead of a guy agent, it's a chick!! PLEASE SPARE ME!
And what's so ultimately disappointing within this "bigger picture" (pun intended) is that an actor of the quality of Denzel Washington would continue to make ultra-violent, non-original, BORING despite the action, predictable, take your money and run, Hollywood CRAP. And this is not the first one he has made either. He is a wonderful actor with great range and has played many memorable roles. However, lately he seems more interested in being involved with money-making vehicles than creating art. It can't be for the money. There are no rumors of Washington being in any poor financial straights. And it shouldn't be for the exposure. Denzel is very well known and respected. Perhaps, they're fun to make and feed his ego at the same time. I hope that it would be for the former reason and not the latter.
Of course, I get to cover the AMAZING RED CARPET PREMIERE for the film tonight at The School of Visual Arts in NYC. It promises to be as big, exciting, and action packed as the film itself! BARFFFF!! However, there is one key difference for me: tonight I will be well paid to be there and they'll never get the cost of a ticket back from me - 'cause I won't buy one. So, ultimately, I'll have the last laugh.
Post Script: After I posted my latest diatribe on Facebook, I received some feedback from a dear and respected friend. He thought that, perhaps, I was a little hard on Mr. Washington, that it must be fun to make these type of movies. Of course, he acknowledged there was good money to be made, as well. He suggested that, in a sense, it was "harmless" escapism (my quotations)i.e. good fun. Of course, this is reasonable. Not every movie has to be Schindler's List! People DO go to the movies to sometimes escape harsh reality and to be simply entertained. However, there is one point that I would like to make in response. I mentioned that the film was ultra-violent within the body of the original text, but, perhaps, did not emphasize it strongly enough. This is an ULTRA-VIOLENT movie that glorifies extreme violence. Furthermore, the film's hero, played by Mr Washington, is THE ULTIMATE KILLING MACHINE. He, a black man, is a legendary expert in death dealing. He is truly the baddest freakin' mutha on the freakin' planet! And what weapon is he most deadly with? The hand gun! Now, some might say, how refreshing. A black man as the hero, totally in charge of his own destiny. That's a role model. Well, I say, stop for a minute and look more deeply into that. Who will see this movie? My guess is that a large percentage will be of young, black males. What is the scourge of young black men, particularly in urban environments? Young black men are dying in droves by gun violence. Hand gun violence is devastating our inner city youth and it gets worse all of the time. The statistics concerning hand gun violence among that demographic are simply staggering. Certainly, it is reasonable to ask why? In fact, it is imperative that we ask! And I believe that answer to this question is quite obvious. Too many of these young black men are seeing role models like the dashing, rich, successful, Mr. Washington as the all powerful, larger than life character in a huge, blockbuster movie, using ultra-violence to accomplish his ends. He is omnipotent! And, in the film, to what does Mr. Washington's character owe to his power? Yes, the hand gun.
It's not rocket science, folks! Put two and two together. Connect the dotted lines. Follow the drum beat. Read the handwriting on the wall. Get the picture? Films like this are not healthy or helpful. In fact, I believe that they can be quite harmful. They glorify violence, death, and destruction. And Mr. Washington, especially with his immense talent, should stop making them.
