Denzel Washington is one of the most accomplished and beloved actors of all time. His versatility has allowed him to deliver captivating performances in nearly every genre, from war dramas to crime thrillers to fantasy tales to heavy dramas and more. However, there’s one genre where you don’t often see him.
The sci-fi genre, which produces some of the most iconic movies in history, isn’t exactly in Washington’s foray. Of course, his talents mean that he’s worked there before, and one of his rare sci-fi movies, released in 2006, is actually among Washington’s best films, even if people don’t mention it often.
Deja Vu Is A Great Sci-Fi Movie
In 2006, Denzel Washington starred in Deja Vu, an intriguing sci-fi project. The film follows ATF agent Doug Carlin (Washington) as he investigates a terrorist attack on a ferry carrying U.S. Navy sailors in New Orleans. On the surface, that sounds like a straightforward crime movie.
The sci-fi aspect comes into play when Doug is brought into a new governmental unit investigating the attack. They have a surveillance program that allows them to look back on events around four days in the past. Doug deduces that the program is actually a time window, allowing them to travel back and potentially stop the attack.
As is often the case, time travel can be a mixed bag in terms of consistency on the screenplay side of things, yet there’s more than enough in Deja Vu to make it a standout sci-fi film.
Sci-Fi Isn’t A Genre Often Found In Denzel Washington’s Filmography
As noted, science fiction isn’t something we typically see from Denzel Washington’s filmography. The actor has been nominated for Oscars for his work in dramas like Fences and Flight, as well as crime films like Training Day and biopics like The Hurricane and Malcolm X (for which he was snubbed).
Washington’s biggest movies commercially include the action trilogy The Equalizer and the fantasy epic sequel Gladiator II, as well as the likes of Philadelphia, American Gangster, and Inside Man. When it comes to sci-fi, there are really only three Washington movies that fit the bill.
Along with Deja Vu, Washington also led The Book of Eli in 2010. That film is set in a post-apocalyptic world and he plays a nomad who looks to deliver an important book to a safe location across the United States. There’s also a hidden gem in Washington’s filmography from 1995 called Virtuosity.
When Virtuosity arrived, Washington had already won an Oscar and been nominated for a few others, yet it only grossed just over $35 million. The film sees Washington’s Parker, a former cop, recruited to test a virtual reality entity modeled after hundreds of criminals. Reviews weren’t strong, yet seeing Washington and Russell Crowe share the screen is great.
Deja Vu Deserves To Be Remembered More Fondly
It’s a shame that Deja Vu is one of Denzel Washington’s most overlooked films. It was moderately successful at the box office, raking in $180 million on a budget of around $75 million, yet didn’t seem to have staying power as people seemed to forget it before the year was up.
Reviews also weren’t stellar for the film, with it sitting at just 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s certainly nowhere near Washington’s best work on that site, yet it deserves more appreciation. The movie takes some big swings as it blends action with time travel antics and romance, among other things.
While not every bit of it works as well as it could, it all comes together for an intriguing movie that will have you on the edge of your seat. Washington’s protagonist is a flawed man, yet one you want to root for.
Seeing the way Doug pieces things together and figures out that he can help actually stop a crime rather than just investigate the aftermath is engaging. It allows for a different kind of crime movie, especially for Washington.
Denzel Washington Works With Frequent Collaborators In Deja Vu
Although Deja Vu is something of an outlier in Denzel Washington’s filmography, there’s a lot of familiarity there as well. That’s because the actor works with several collaborators with whom he’s done other movies. For starters, Deja Vu was directed by the late Tony Scott.
Denzel Washington starred in a handful of Tony Scott movies, from 1995’s Crimson Tide to his iconic Man on Fire to Scott’s final two feature films, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and Unstoppable. Matt Craven plays another ATF agent and he worked with Washington in Crimson Tide.
This film also marks the first partnership between Washington and Paula Patton, who went on to star alongside him in 2 Guns a few years later. Bruce Greenwood also went on to work with Washington in Flight. Thereare also a few interesting connections outside of straight-up collaborations.
A young Elle Fanning appears in this movie just a couple of years after Washington starred alongside her sister Dakota in Man on Fire. Meanwhile, Adam Goldberg is in Deja Vu and went on to appear in The Equalizer TV show, which is also based on the ’80s show like Washington’s film trilogy.
- Release Date
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November 22, 2006
- Runtime
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126 minutes
- Director
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Tony Scott