Flick Picks: Denzel Washington as a Baddie, Rachel McAdams in ‘The Vow’
In our weekly video feature ‘Flick Picks,’ The Daily Beast’s Ramin Setoodeh and Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers debate the new movies opening at a theater near you. See which films get a ‘Yes,’ ‘No’ or ‘Maybe’ from our critics. This week’s lineup: How could Rachel McAdams forget Channing Tatum in The Vow? And, Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson as corrupt characters in, respectively, Safe House and Rampart.
Kerry Hayes / Sony Pictures
‘Safe House’
Denzel Washington stars as a CIA spy wanted for turning rogue. Ryan Reynolds (coming off a pair of summer flops) is the inexperienced Cape Town operative who tries to bring him in. Washington is at his best when he plays bad (see Training Day), but this movie turns to mush when we learn the truth about his sinister villain.
‘The Vow’
Rachel McAdams plays Paige, a woman who gets amnesia after a car accident and forgets that she’s married to Leo (Channing Tatum). This romantic dramedy might sound like a Lifetime movie, but it’s far worse.
‘Rampart’
Woody Harrelson received Oscar buzz last winter for his turn as a corrupt LAPD cop in this indie drama, which expands into wide release this weekend. It’s the actor’s second collaboration with director Oren Moverman, following The Messenger.