Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa is set to make his English-language film debut this year with the dynamic thriller Safe House, which headlines Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. The first poster released in November focused solely on Washington’s star power, which is little surprise as Reynolds has had a rough year at the box office with the critically reviled Green Lantern and generally ignored The Change-Up. Still, Reynolds has made his way onto Safe House’s new poster…sort of.
With another black-and-white offering, Universal Pictures continues to promote this seemingly intense crime drama with a deeply dull ad campaign. Here both Washington and Reynolds get face time, but the design is utterly bizarre. Washington’s face is halved, cutting down on its recognizability, and Reynolds looks more like Josh Brolin than himself what with this odd photoshop treatment applied liberally to his face. Ultimately, it’s an atrocious poster that’s slowly killing my enthusiasm for Espinosa’s American debut that seemed so smashing in its fiery trailer.
Image courtesy of Coming Soon.
Synopsis:
Oscar® winner Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds star in the action-thriller Safe House. Washington plays the most dangerous renegade from the CIA, who comes back onto the grid after a decade on the run. When the South African safe house he’s remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative (Reynolds) escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.
Safe House hits theaters February 10, 2012.
What do you make of this poster?