For all of the heroes and good-guys he has played, Denzel Washington is never better than when he is playing the villain. From his Oscar winning performance in Training Day to ruthless drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster, the man knows how to command attention and that kind of talent is best used when intimidating a hero. Fortunately for us, Washington is ready to go for it again.
Deadline reports that the actor has been cast as the villain in upcoming film Safe House, directed by Daniel Espinosa. The film follows a young CIA agent as needs to transport a dangerous criminal after their safe house is compromised. The plot seems similar to the 2006 Bruce Willis-Mos Def film 16 Blocks, but instead of a slow-minded, fast-talking witness in the hands of an experienced cop, you have evil lawbreaker in the hands of a newbie agent. Sounds like fun.
With some obvious exceptions aside (his allegiance to Tony Scott has occasionally hurt him more than it's helped), Washington rarely chooses bad roles to play. Provided the script allows him to be the full bad-ass he can be (i.e. Alonzo Harris), there's no reason why this film couldn't be a success.
