Ahhh, the offer story. I typically hate them but in this case I feel compelled, because it has to do with one of today's great actors who hasn't pushed himself in years: Denzel Washington. And it also involves the remake of one of the best foreign language films of the last few years: The Secret In Their Eyes. I've been hoping the film had died a quiet death since we hadn't heard anything since last October, but alas....
I had actually just finished talking to my good friend Tim Gordon about the American response to foreign films, and the subject of The Secret In Their Eyes came up. All it did was serve to remind how great Juan Jose Campanella's multi-layered, emotional crime thriller really was. So much so that I didn't really want to bring up that a remake had been announced last year with Bill Ray(Shattered Glass, Breach) writing and directing. We haven't heard squat about it until now, with Twitch reporting that Washington has been offered the lead role.
Now this doesn't mean Denzel will accept the job. In fact I'd be sorta surprised if he did. The reason I say that is because he hasn't taken on a film that would require him to really flex his acting muscles in a very long time. I bet those muscles have long since atrophied. The story revolves around an ex investigator, still racked with guilt and painful memories over an unsolved murder decades prior. While the film is a completely effective crime procedural, there's also a very mature love story. It also features one of the most dynamic chase scenes set in an arena during a soccer match.
I love Billy Ray. I love the source material. I hope this never happens. Not sure Denzel's the right fit, either. We'll see how this pans out.
