Tony Scott - Deja Vu

0:00 What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew that, never believe you. We're going to talk about a film by Tony Scott, his two thousand and six sci fi crime thriller, celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year Deja Vu.

0:44 Hello everybody. I'm Jeff Johnson and I'm Gary Gibson and. This is a film by Podcast Garrett. Welcome back, sir, new season. I think this is your first time this season. Right, first time this season. Glad to be back as always, sir. I am too, man. I you know, I always looked at the schedule. I was like, shit, we don't have any kind of Reeves movies. And after you broke off like four or five am in a row, I was like, I gotta find something, you know, something to talk about. You know. It's a It's a great film, the reason we're here to talk today. So I'm excited for this one for sure. I am too. This is the fourth Tony Scott film we've discussed on a film by, following Top Gun, Revenge and The Last Boy Scout. But the first time you've had a chance to be on the pod and talk Tony Scott.

1:36 Garrett, what's your take on his work? Are you a big fan? So, I'm actually a huge fan of Tony Scott's work. He's done a lot of films that have amazed me throughout the years. And it's always weird looking at his filmography when you do a little bit of research into him, because you see so many films that you're like, I love that one. Wait, I love that one too, hold on, wait, these are all the same guy? Yeah, he was pretty awesome. He is. Before we get into it. It's February now, so we are kicking off a whole new theme for this month. We're calling this one Denzel and the Man, as in Michael Man. So we got a couple Denzel Washington movies for you, and we got a couple of Michael Mann films for you. Let's talk about Tony Scott for a second, Garrett.

2:26 I've got three things you may not know about him and a quote. And this ain't gonna be easy because, like I said, we've talked about him a couple of times now, so. That's hear bred all right. Do you like his two thousand and four film Man on Fire? I love his two thousand and four film Man On Well. He was originally supposed to direct that back in nineteen eighty seven, but close to the start of production he was actually rejected by producers at the time who felt he wasn't polished enough. To pull it off to make a good film. So thankfully a different set of producers felt differently seventeen years later. And I think the time jumped there, and you know, the actor that he ended up with in two thousand and four definitely a better feather than his cap.

3:16 I would say, I'm wondering who in nineteen eighty seven, who's if he's directing at eighty seven's who's playing Creasy? Because I'm going straight to Lugassa Junior. I mean, you really have to go with someone like lu Gassi Junior. There really wasn't that much like talent at the point in time to where I think it fits in that role exactly. So I think, got I'll give you hold on. I'm going to recast this nineteen eighty seven what if version. I'm not giving it to lu gasst you know who'm giving it to? Who were given it to? Carl Weathers, Oh. Buddy, I mean that's a prime time Carl Weathers right there in nineteen eighty seven, that is coming off the set Predator right there.

4:01 Yes, exactly, he would like it. He could have been an amazing creasy, but it would have been more on the rejection front for Tony Scott. He was the front runner to direct the highly regarded screenplay for Starman back in nineteen eighty four until negative reaction to his feature film debut. Talking about nineteen eighty three Is the Hunger absolutely just took him out of the mouth of every producer in. Hollywood, and that's rough. But I honestly love that film. So it's hard to say what way it would have went.

4:41 I know it would have been in good hand still, but I don't know that one's a classic for me. I mean, I mean, ultimately we know John Carpenter directs it, with Bridges and Karen Allen. I've talked to Karen Allen about this film. I couldn't imagine anyone but John Carpenter directing it. So I think, you know, with all due respect to mister Scott, I think I think we got the better film, But sadly for him, it was It'd be another three years until he gets another directing job and that's when he did a small film about fighter jets called Top Gun, which. Which is pretty great way to kick off the What was that early nineties is it? Or is that late eighties?

5:27 That's eighty six, baby eighty six? Okay, yeah, best year ever for films. Before his death in twenty twelve, this might blow your mind. And it's kind of surprising because I I can't believe I'm about to drop another nugget about this show. But before his death in twenty twelve, Scott was in final negotiations with twentieth Century Fox to direct a film adaptation of their hit series twenty four, which would have brought back Keith Sutherland's Jack Bauer character. Oh dude, and that's one of the most iconic roles that you get out there. I mean you'll have them across time, you know, Jack Reacher and Jack Ryan and everything like that. But my gosh, Jack Bowers Keifer Sutherland is Jack Bower? Sorry about that? Absolutely amazing in the twenty four series.

6:23 Well, yeah, it was agreed that Ridley I keep saying Ridley. It was agreed that Tony Scott was the ideal choice based on his ability to film action sequences, his visual style, the use of fast paced editing. So, I mean, he would have been the perfect choice, but you know, sadly after his death there, you know, the project kind of fell apart. And you can see the same style that they're going for in twenty four in films such as Man on Fire and Dejavood you get a lot of those quick cuts. Now. Now, quick quote for you on being compared to his brother Ridley, Tony said, Ridley makes films for posterity. My films are more rock and roll speaking of it, yeah, you gotta love that. So, Garrett, I'm excited for you to try this out. You know, it's two thousand and one.

7:20 It's you know, we're doing two thousand and one and two thousand and six movies. We're doing big movies, big event movies. We don't need to spend time with these long drawn out. Synopsis form. So we're doing what we're calling the five words synopsis. So, Garrett, I want to ask you, tell me what Deja vous is all about using exactly five words. Fun, science fiction, action, thrill ride. All right, so you and Angela Norris are spending time together apparently, all right, hold on, no, it's not Angela it was Amber Amber, her first time she was doing word association.

8:02 Yeah, here's the thing. Here's the thing. Brother, you gotta you gotta tell me, like, hey, guess this movie I'm talking about, and you got to give me plot specifics and you can only use and. You have to use five words. So I'm gonna I'm gonna let you off the hook for this. One because I know when Amber came back the next time, she she knocked it out of the park. Angela did a great job with it. But how about this agent from future stops bomb? Okay, okay, I put your button down now, okay, can we can we get this out. Of the way. This is a crime thriller that halfway through the movie surprises you with the fact that it's a sci fi time traveling movie.

8:47 It really does, because the way this film picks up, like if you're going into this film cold and unknowing of it. For the first twenty to twenty five minutes, you think this is just a standard, you know, manhunt film, and then he gets with a special FBI subgroup, and then the film kind of takes turn that sign sci fi turn. There. I gotta say, I think it takes a pleasant turn does now disagreeing with us. The writers on this film, they famously took issue with Tony Scott not wanting to film what they wrote in favor of a more action oriented story, and we'll talk about that later. But I think their criticism and the negative buzz this movie received when came out is bullshit, Like it's awesome?

9:36 Am I wrong? You're not wrong? And I've got to tell you the like from I think it's ninety nine to about twenty ten, that is Denzel gold right there. Everything that was coming out right there, I absolutely freaking loved. And this is one of the films that falls right at Smack Dab in the Metal two thousand and six. Just a great film. Well, before we jump into Denzel, let's take a quick break and then we'll get to it. Welcome back. We are talking about Tony Scott's Deja Vu, starring Denzel Washington as ATF special agent Doug Carlin. So producer Jerry Bruckheimer initially is the one that gets Denzel on board a star and Garrett, the first rule of having Denzel in your film, you introduce his character in a slow mo tracking shot.

10:36 Yeah, him walking into that crime scene just slowly pulling the glasses off, the oversized button up, blowing in the wind. I mean, it's classic Denzel andro right now. The swagger that he has. It's just awesome to watch. And I gotta be honest, I think he does a great job balancing charisma and despair in this movie, because I love how he introduces himself to the detectives at the police precinct. You know, he comes in already offered him answers, give them clues, and then ask you you know where's coffee machine? Thatt? Go, Come on, guys, it's a who's in charge here? Who's in charge here? Okay? Yeah, you know where the coffee is at? Yeah, you are in charge.

11:16 He's got that that that mega watt movie star smile. You know, he's got the Denzel laugh that that we're accustomed to hearing. But later, when he's with Val Kilmer one on one, he gives that great monologue about about losing things, about loss. Yes, nice to just you go home and jump on whoever you got. I guess I'm what to do? Nobody home? What happened? Everything you have? You lose? Right? Mother and father gone? Good looks for gone? Loved one's going in a second. That's what this job teaches you, doesn't it. No matter what, no matter how hard you grab on to something, you still lose it.

12:01 Well, we're gonna grab onto this guy in a couple hours. That's wrong. No matter what, we still lose her, right, Yeah, Denzel is fantastic. Let's talk about Paula Patton. Playing Claire Kouchever. She's the the victim slash not the victim. You know, it's this movie, Like I said, it takes some weird twists and turns with you because she she's a she's a corpse for the first half of it, and then all of a sudden, we're she's she's right there long long as she's right beside him, you know, helping solve the.

12:46 Case absolutely, you know, about thirty five minutes and they're starting to go over exactly how this whole process works, and he starts seeing the world as she does for these few days that they're surveilling her in the past. So it's quite interesting because you can tell the more that she Paula Patten, is on screen, that Denzel's character is slowly starting to fall for this woman, even though he's never met her. Yeah. He I like that. He's he's kind of got two missions here. He's trying to solve the case of the fairy explosion, but he's more the longer we go, the more that's taking a backseat to him solving the murder of this woman.

13:34 And you're right, he is. He's becoming emotionally invested in her and he's falling for even when he meets her father and the father, you know, he's getting some preliminary information and dad gives him a little stack of photos and he's like, that's not necessary, and he goes, no, no, I know how this goes. I need her to matter to you. I love that moment for that guy. It's absolutely amazing. And you know, a little further along in the film, and I guarantee we'll discuss it just the val Kelmer wrap up after they solve everything, and he's like, well, we're not here for the families. Yeah, And it gives you that moment where Denzel's like, no, we do.

14:15 Yeah. You could say this is a breakout role for Paula Patten, but afterward and I want to say, like, for several years, she never really has another hit until we get to I think it's Mission impossible Ghost Protocol twenty eleven, that happens, she's red hot again, but then nothing comes of it. I guess I just don't understand why she's not a major star. No, because I mean, Paula Patten is absolutely breathtaking, absolutely gorgeous. I loved her in the Key for Sutherland film Mirrors. Of course, there's a few other roles that she was in around that two thousand and six twenty ten timeline, but nothing that she really took off from. This is the actress that heck, I believe if they made Deadpool two probably ten years prior, this is our domino right here.

15:09 This is the way that we would get because she looks so much like that as Zazie beats Girl. So I feel like, yeah, I'll go you one better. I think you just gave me an idea of who basically takes Paula Patten's career away from her. And if you think about the projects, think about someone like Zoe Saldana. Oh yeah, that's true. She does she have the career that Paula Patton is supposed to have. You think so her and Thandia Newton as well. I think both of those fit about the build and the career that you would think of her, because it's someone that you're like, oh, that could be a bond girl, or that could be this, that could be that, and you never see it from her. But she's got the charisma, she's got the looks, she's got great actress capabilities. Yeah, I mean why not?

16:02 I think Yeah. I think sal Dona's like maybe three or four years younger than her. I think I think she's I think she stills. Her career more. I think you might. I think you might be right. You mentioned Val Kilmer. He is playing special agent FBI special Agent Paul Priswara. I think it's I think it's yet he gives so he takes this role because. He just wants to work with Denzel, and who can blame him? You know, if that's you know, not something you've done yet, you gotta do it. I love seeing Kilmer here, though, and I think the crime that one of the crimes that this movie has is that we don't have enough Kilmer. I think you're right because this is one of the films after, of course, the eighties and nineties success with Val Kilmer. I think this is one of his roles in the two thousands and even twenty tens that you can actually get behind. You're like, oh, wow, Okay, he delivered something for this film, and I don't think we have enough on screen time with him. It's kind of like he's there, but he's almost used as a background character as we've got Adam Goldberg and everyone else in this room. So he kind of lose Val Kilmer in there.

17:16 And it's unfortunate because I absolutely loved him in this room. Yeah. Now you know, he's notorious for having a good time on set, like likes to have fun with the crew. Turns out he made t shirts for the crew when they're shooting this. Now you remember you got you got Val Kilmer, you got Denzel Washington, you got Jim Caviezel in this movie, Garrett, he has shirts made up that say Malcolm X, Jesus Christ and Jim Morrison. Deja vu? How can we fail? Oh my gosh, could you imagine how I want?

17:59 I want one of them, you know, because you know there's only a couple hundred of may I'd love. Yeah, the set that that's pretty fricking And also. Man, yeah, speaking of Jim covizl he's playing domestic terrorist Carol Orstadt. Or Stott yeap or Stott. Yeah, thank you. So let's be on like the similarities between his character and real life domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh. I mean, we just can't overlook that. Oh, by no means huh, I mean no. And even like Tony Scott and Covisel, they admitted the character was was somewhat based on him. You know, my question though, is is the guy Does the film give us enough to hate this guy as the villain or is he just evil for the sake of evil?

18:45 So to me, it came up a little short in his background because even in the interrogation scene or the wrap up with his characters, about the most you get of him other than him chasing a shadow for the first three quarters of film, which kind of robs from you absolutely despising this guy. Of course, you know two three of the crimes that he commits there, but they never give you really a background. They don't tell you why he's so distraught, except for the little bit in the interrogation. Yeah he's well, he I mean he is just singing during this interrogation. He is basically admitting to everything he's he's doing the classic villain thing where he's gonna like.

19:29 Let his whole plan uh be unfolded. But why, I just I don't know, I think And again I kind of mentioned the crime of Malcolm or not being in this. I think a bigger crime is we just didn't have enough time to invest in in his character, in Cavizl's character. You know, I'm not saying I want to. I don't want to root for him obviously because he's he's awful. But you know, you got to care about your villain in order to care about the hero. This film is two hours and six minutes long, if I I'm not mistaken. So for them to go ahead and add fifteen minutes here and then cut fifteen minutes there, just so we can get a little bit more. I mean, it went it so far in classic films like Patriot Games and things like that, to where it gives you that little bit of background and you're like, Okay, I actually am rooting for the good guy because of this. Yeah, and yeah, to.

20:27 Two fun facts about Jim Cavizl before we move on. So you remember that scene at the end when he's hit by the car. Paul Patten like runs the car, rams in with the car. At the last minute. He insisted on doing it himself, even after it was explained to him that he could be paralyzed. If something goes wrong. Okay, you know, And if you think about that shot, he's it's not like there's a cutaway. I mean you're like, oh, did she did she just yeah, okay, something else I thought was kind of funny. The original cut they're doing like test screenings. Yeah, so apparently, you know, the first time Denzel actually sees you know, Jim Cavezel's face to face, like you know, because yeah, yeah, because like they're they're playing this cat and mouse situation. He's in the shadows or trying to figure out who he is. When we finally get the good look at Covizel's face, Denzel like had muttered just under his breath, like Jesus, you know, not not you know, but apparently because he.

21:34 Had just been in the passion of the Christ, that audience. They just break out in laughter. Like there they think it's like an inside joke. So when Tony Scott sees this, he's like, okay that we got to cut that, you know, cut that scene. Cut that line because I can't have that, you know. And more to that point, this didn't become a too big of a deal, but there were a lot of people, apparently they a lot of religious people were upset with Jim Caviezel for taking this role right after playing Jesus Christ. I mean he did become a terrorist, a domestic terrorist after playing Jesus Christ. I could see there it would be frowned for religious community.

22:20 Yeah, they're not the follow up they were hoping for. The movie also stars Bruce Greenwood, Adam Goldberg who you mentioned, Erica Alexander, Matt Craven, and Elden Henson of Daredevil fame. We got, we got all Foggy Nelson, he's our tech guy. I love Eldon and this one it was pretty good. There's, like I want to say, there's like like forty minutes of this movie is just in that room, yes, with the tech guys. And the more we have it, the more I want more of it. Like Adam Goldberg and Elden Henson are just and uh and Erica Alexander, they're they're fun to watch, Yeah, like explainings and they're doing their tech stuff like you know, let's rotate left.

23:04 Let's do that. You know, it's like it's just tech babble, which you should get bored of after like five or ten minutes. But I could add more of it if I'm being honest. Yeah, you spend forty plus minutes maybe in this room with just that six person cast. We were attempting to use concentrated bursts of energy to enhance the sensitivity of optical telescopes. In the process, we had to break through. Given enough energy, we could warp the very fabricous space. I said, explain it to me, not talk science. Why don't you guys just keep talking. I'll just sit here until you figure out what is you really want to tell. We found a way to fold space back onto itself. All right. Look, we're used to viewing space as flat, right, like this piece of paper. To see something from the distance, light has always had to travel a long way across the flat space between. But given what I was trying to explain, we could fold the space, bring the target closer to us, create what's known as an Einstein Rosen bridge, otherwise known as a wormhole, to spend it via gravitational field.

24:01 That's what we're looking at. That's it, basically the boating space in the higher dimension to create an instantaneous link between two distant points. Ineous. Well, that's what we hope for, and that's what we expected. Okay, So why can't I see this bridge? It's not visible for the human eye. I mean it's it's real though. It's just as real and just as solid as a cell phone signal or a radio app. Right. Well, I don't know how a cell phone works. I just know how to use it. So how do we use this we can look back for? And I have to ask and what we can look anywhere? Limited radius right. Right, looking into the past in the sense we're always looking in the past. Even light reflected from yourself in the mirror takes some time to reflect back. Let me get this straight. You're trying to tell me that on the other side of this bridge.

24:45 Is the actual past. Yes, and it never grows highresome for me. I don't know what it is, but the back and forth are amazing. Insight to what they're doing is good. Like, wait, can she see us? Are we the ones that are there? And like just the explanation behind that is simply amazing. And I just love this little cast in there. Well let's uh, before I forget, let's let's let's jump into the a little bit about the film's background before I you know, I mentioned the writers were kind of, you know, kind of shitty about about how this, how this went down. And I'm not I'm not blaming. I'm not I'm not saying I'm taking Tony Scott's side in it. I'm just saying, you know, they were a little openly negative, uh, talking about screenwriters Bill Marsilli and Terry Rossio.

25:31 So they come up with this. Time travel thriller, you know, one page treatment, uh, they called Prior Conviction. It's all about a cop using a time window to look into the past and solve his girlfriend's murder. And a couple weeks goes by, and then Marcilly he has the idea, like, wait, the guy, the cop, should fall in love with the girlfriend while he's watching the last few days of her life, so like the first time he ever even sees her should be at the autopsy. You know, and then now we're off and running. I do like that. Yeah, I mean it's morbid and it's creepy, but at the same time very cool, you know. It is I feel like, if you do this as Jesu's girlfriend already, I think this puts a personal kind of point to it, whereas this is just a good man trying to do the right thing and he ends up falling for the girl that he's trying to save.

26:28 Yeah, so they sell this script to Jerry Bruckheimer for an outrageous four and a half million dollars, which that's a that's that's big, especially at this time. It's big. Now you know, it's still big. But once Tony Scott is on board, that's where trouble comes to paradise. They immediately clash with him over the vision of the film, and Rossio states that Scott was quote completely the wrong choice, and that Tony had stated no interest in making a science fiction film and suggested the time travel aspect be dumped.

27:10 My hope was that we. Had a screenplay that could be the next sixth Sense. Tony wanted to make just another also ran surveillance film. Get here. Yeah, well, I mean, okay, first off, let's just say Tony Scott was wrong about dumping the time travel aspect. Yes, so point for the screenwriters, But do you openly just. Trash the director of the film that you just you know, sold your script to for four and a half million dollars, Like I kind of think, maybe that's not the way you want to go. You don't, and I mean reason being as you can end up like a Quentin Tarantino on Natural Born Killers, where they changed so much to where you can just be like, Okay, I'll wash my hands. You guys can have it. You purchased it, Yeah, I'll see you later.

28:02 You could do that instead of just trashing someone that is now the lead of your film. So exactly that. Yeah. Uh. And at one point, Tony Scott quits the project, which forces the writers into two weeks of rewrites. Uh. And they only do that out of fear of Denzel walking off the picture. So well, yeah, if you lose Denzel and then you end up losing Jerry Bruckheimer from this deal, I mean you've got nothing now. Now you've got a Yeah. Yeah, you're your director has quit, your stars about to walk, so fix you know whatever. They they weren't happy about fix it immediately, yeah, and they did because, uh, after the script revision, Denzel is so happy he goes after Tony Scott, who you know, Yeah, I remember they had worked together before. Yes, so he gets Scott back on board, making Scott promise him like, you know, you will not quit this movie. We're gonna do this together now. One of the things, you know, they cut back on the human story of it. They give Scott a little more action, you know, a little a couple more action pieces to it.

29:15 Can we talk about the snow White program for a minute. Yes, we can, the seventh Satellites? Absolutely, Yeah. So it's explained to Denzel's character that this is a digital recreation software that uses combined data from the seven satellites. Garrett, is this just this is AI just twenty years before what AI is currently? It is It was recreating absolutely everything of the scenario from seven different points of direction to narrow down exactly who the killer is. So is essentially doing a who done it? Through AI now? Is essentially what this is.

30:00 But what it just blows my mind because like you know, you and I were talking off Mike and how long it's been since we've we've watched this movie, and when you think about where we're at with with AI now and how dangerous it has become because it don't you know, I get it it's it's a lot of fun you can create, you know, silly pictures, you know, but it's also it's frightening in a way and how realistic and how how. Good it is now you know, I mean absolutely right, yeah, And. They're basically like the Snow White Program the way they because Denzel's kind of he's our avatar. We're watching that, We're we're along for the ride through his character, right, And I'm telling you the way that Val Kilmer and them are just kind of, you know, nonchalantly just like, oh, here's how it works. They're basically describing how AI software works now, yes, minus the time travel.

30:54 Of course, minus the time travel, minus you know, sending leader here there or ending back a person in four days. But yeah, yeah, I mean before you know, before this movie goes full Terminator back to the future. It's it's it's really it's fascinating and frightening at how you know, what they're describing basically as the blueprint of what what we have now, so. To where you just input the data and it's like, all right here, let's go ahead and create this world for you so you can see every aspect of it. And it's terrifying because again, you can watch any AI video today and half the time you won't know it's AI.

31:37 Yeah, uh, chat GPT. You know, make me a picture of Garrett Gibson jumping off the Knockatommy tower building like Bruce Willis and put a put a machine gun in its hand and it's going to render it in a couple of minutes and it's going to. Look just like you. Yeah, it's crazy, It's absolutely crazy. Garret. Let's take a quick break because I know there's a scene you want to talk about. There's a scene I want to talk about up and we'll do that just after this. All right, So let's talk about the scene, Garrett. You know last time, you know, it's been a while for you. You know, we used to talk about the pivotal moment, yes, but now but now we've kind of opened it up. So I want you, I know you got a scene in mind that you want to talk about. My question before we talk about your scene, I want to know why it was chosen. Is it is it because of the cinematography, is it for a strong performance? Is it the visual effects? Is it the pivotal moment? Or hey, new option that's that's been popping up. Is it a scene that didn't piss Amber Lewis off? What do you What scene do you want to talk about and why? So?

32:50 The scene I would like to talk about is the wrap up after they catch Jim Caviezel and they're like, yeah, you know, he admitted to it. Denzel's hung up on well we don't have him on the murder of Paula Patten, and they're like, yeah, well, you know that's incidental. We've got him on the ferry, we've got him on killing the federal agent. We don't need anything. So for me, this scene is the best scene in the film, just because he goes that extra mile. He's got the heart, he's got the drive. He wants to give her father a closure. But as soon as he realizes that he can actually use this to prevent the crime, he's willing to even sacrifice his own life to try and prevent the crime because he's come to know this woman over the past four days, seeing every intimate detail of her life.

33:42 So you're okay, so you're going pivotal moment. And yeah, like we saw that it it did a decent job of putting a note on his desk, this time travel technology. Yeah that backfired. But yeah, and then you know, and they kind of warned him like, hey, yeah, you know the electromagnetic pulse, you know, your your brain activity, your heart rate, like a lot of a lot of bad things can happen. Yes, and denzelgent he goes for it. He does. Now this is one of the Okay, I think this is one of these situations where you can't get too bogged down in the science of time travel, right, you know, because that's you know, like kind of like a like Austin Powers trying to explain it, what his way through it, and then oh no, I've gone cross side, you know.

34:35 Just just watch it's time travel. Just watch, you know, because at first I'm like, okay, you know, our guy Adam Goldberg's like, who whoa whoa you know, as little molecule, he says, something mass as possible. So you can't carry your gun, you can't you know, take your. You know, you know, empty your pockets. But then he's like, yeah, you take everything off. Now you can keep your underwear on. I mean, okay, you know, so it's not terminator where just you know, only you know, flesh can go through. But I don't know. I'm a little worried if I'm if if you're redigitizing me somewhere, maybe the molecules from my My Boxer briefs. End up inside You're like or something.

35:15 Yeah, yeah, it's yeah. You can't, Yeah, you can't. You can't get bogged down in it. But then you've got a superhero movie called fabric Man. And Bam Go Buddy Denzel Washington and Fabric Man. Yeah no, but I I'm with you because, like I said, he is I love even with the the interrogator, the interrogation, with the with caviasl He's got the laughing, the you know, uh you know that that Denzel that we love. But he also he's kind of a broken guy. Like he he's you know, he's gone through a lot of loss, which he hints at that we don't really see. But he's willing to risk everything just to just to save this girl and and I think get the opportunity to be with.

36:00 Her so honestly, and that's what it is, and that's why ultimately and then his sacrifice is just heartbreaking. Yeah, and. But no, I mean it to me, like I said, definitely the pivotal role because the way Val Kilmer and Bruce Greenwood's characters break it down, it is like it's case closed. You don't need to work about it. The day at the office. We're good. Yeah, yeah, you know, I gotta tell you one more thing before you know, and I'll quit picking on time trap on this movie. But let's just say this. Let's say he you know, because he saves the girl, he stops the fairy explosion, but it's at the risk of you know, he kind of does like a Batman in the dark Knight returns. You know, he drives the le bronco off the off the boat and you know he's trapped and it explodes.

36:52 But let's say he gets out. Now we're we got you know, there's no way going you know, you can't go there's there's you can go back, but you can't go forward. Right, So what was his plan? You think of just being you know, four days in the past and now there's two. Of them about just twin brothers. Is for the rest of his life or well? You know, I mean, yeah, even if he's okay with that, you gotta think past. You know, Denzel, that might not work for him too well, you know, like now, if if if four days from now, Jeff Johnson knocks on my door right now, I mean after I, you know, collect myself and and I'm sure I'll think it's cool. That's what we'll hold on. Now, I don't what are you gonna do? You can't just run around being me, you know, Like, I don't know.

37:48 I just wonder, like what was Denzel's plan after he says the girl, We'll never know. It's like, you can't, you can't know. But now one thing I will pick on about time travel, and that will think's right. There is all the cops that saw him having the fight and talk with Jim Cavizl and everything on about the ship. There, all those cops are still present Whendel walks back up at the end of the film, none of I'm like, no, that's not him. Hey, hold on, is that Maybe that's not him? I think, but that's probably not Doug. Nah, don't worry about it. Yeah, all right, So I gotta see what I want to talk about. And I'm picking this one for the cinematography, for the for the visual effects of it, and we're going to go right back to the beginning. I'm talking about the opening explosion of the ferry. So it's Fat Tuesday.

38:39 Sailors from the Ussnimics are coming home, They're celebrating, families are reuniting, kids are playing on the deck. There's a band playing, and meanwhile, ninety four Bronco is sitting below with the keys in the ignition and the radio playing the Beach Boys. Don't worry baby with a bomb low. It in the back. Now. I don't know you, Garrett, but at this point, our friend def Dave shoots to the top of the suspect list at the beginning of this movie. I'm just gonna it's gonna blare the Beach Boys and head on out. Yeah, where's deaf Dave? At is he is? He's down in New Orleans, is what I'm asking myself. I believe so. But this explosion is nothing short of spectacular.

39:24 I'm talking about it. It's a brilliant display of cinema with with the fire, the debris, the black smoke, launching vehicles and bodies into the Mississippi River. I can I walk you through this real quick? Absolutely all right? Because Tony Scott has visual effects editor Mark Verisco with him, and you know they've worked before and deja vous boasts like four hundred visual effects. Now, what makes this so incredible is the fact that the explosion of the ferry wasn't CGI, and it wasn't a model. It was an actual New Orleans ferry that was sectioned off for safety.

40:09 Really. Oh now, now here's where you're really your mind's gonna get blown like the ferry. Uh. The pyrotechnics expert spends four hours coating the entire faerry with fire retardant and then rigs fifty gasoline bombs packed. With dirt and diesel fuel. The real explosion that is captured on film unbelievably does very minimal structural damage, if any, to the actual boat, and after Cruise sand blasted and repainted the ferry, it was returned to service four days after production ended. Get the heck out of here.

40:49 This They blew it up, except they blew it up in a way that the. Boat is fine, Like yeah, no, we've got this. Yeah, Like you know, now, think about this, like weeks before, like they're in pre production and weeks before they're supposed to start rolling cameras. Yeah, in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina hits and basically destroys New Orleans, as we know, because originally the film was supposed to I think the film was supposed to take place in Long Island, and Tony Scott was like, no, I think New Orleans would look a lot cooler, you know. So they go down there, and then the hurricane hits, and now they're like, well, what are we going to do? Well, they wait, they kind of delay production, and then Hurricane Katrina kind of makes its way into this film.

41:36 You know. They talk about, you know, the devastation, they talk about rebuilding, and a lot of the damage you see in the movie is real for that reason. So, like when they visit Jim Covizel's second property and they find all that, yeah, yeah, And. So the cool thing here is that they decided to come back to New Orleans. Uh, Tony Scott, Denzel and I think Val Kilmer and Jim Cabezel they hold a press conference and they say, hey, we are committed to filming here, and we are going to hire as many people as we can locally to help put money back into this this area, put money back into the city and uh, and and help rebuild.

42:25 So that's awesome, I think. And then you turn around and tell New Orleans like, oh, by the way, uh, yeah, you got any fairies that we can we can blow up. We're not gonna blow it up all the way we promised. We won't destroy it. But we can get it put back together. I got Lego said in like three days. Yeah, it'll just need some sand blasting, a little bit of a little bit of paint it. It'll be fine. And and amazingly enough, it was fine like that. You know, I just can't believe that what we saw on screen is real. And then a couple weeks later, you're if you're in New Orleans, you're you're getting on that ferry. So the cinematographer for this film was Paul Cameron. Correct, Oh, yes, I believe so absolutely amazing work on this film. You're yeah, you're right. The cinematography is awesome.

43:13 Yeah, And to this day, that explosion for the faery, yes, the biggest, the biggest stunt ever filmed in New Orleans. Really. Yeah, that's honestly hard to believe with how crazy New Orleans gets. Yeah, yeah, yeah, And I'll. Just just for people fact checking me right now, because I did say it wasn't the explosion wasn't cgi the explosion wasn't but the the flaming bodies. And some of the debris that you see flying out of the out of the boat that that obviously cgi you know. Yeah, but yeah, real cars getting dumped into the Mississippi River.

43:54 And when they're doing the underwater shots. They did not have four hundred and fifty three cane hotters willing to be livet on fire for this project. They did not know. They did not speaking of four hundred and fifty three kent hiters, let's run the numbers on this one. Deja Vu was released November twenty second, two thousand and six, with a runtime of two hours and six minutes. Mister Gibson, you were absolutely down to the minute correct on that. It opened in the number three spot, behind Happy Feet, which we won't be covering on this season, and Casino Reale, which we definitely will be covering. On this season. Absolutely love Casino Royale.

44:34 Kah, We'll get to it. With a fourteen week run in theaters, it grossed one hundred and eighty point six million dollars from a budget of seventy five million, Garrett. It ranked seventh on the top ten highest grossing Denzel Washington movies, which is. Hard to believe when you look at everything Denzel's. Done in his career. Do you know what's more unbelievable? What's here? Don't tell me? Training Days under this am somehow don't don't do it, Jeff, I. Gotta do it. Training Day is not in the top ten highest grossing Denzel Washington movies. It grossed one hundred and four point nine million, and I think number two.

45:16 There's a tie at number ten. Hold on, let me, let me, let me help you out here, because I was like, where I'm looking at this list, I'm like Wor's Training Day. Actually, Crimson Tide and The Book of Eli are tied at number ten each with one hundred and fifty seven million dollars. Both great films. So yeah, I can see that. Yeah, if you want to, you want, yeah, you want to take a stab at what? What crime thriller is the number one Denzel Washington highest grossing picture. I'm going to say it's got to be Man on Fire? Right, Man on Fire? Uh? Not in the top ten?

45:57 What did Okay, we were looking for. Equalizers? Number five? Okay, hard to believe, right, dude? Yeah, if you want the number one Denzel Washington movie as far as highest performing or highest grossing as it were, You're looking at American Gangster with two hundred and sixty seven million dollars. Okay, that is one of my favorite all time Denzel movies, and the good Josh Brolin credits that for saving his career. Could you imagine, I mean think about Brolin was in what three of what I feel are the ten best movies of twenty twenty five last year?

46:39 Oh yeah, no, he was. So he's been doing a lot of great work, especially since he got into Avengers and all that stuff. And yeah, well yeah, but I mean Weapons, the Running Man. I love Running Man, Wake Up Dead Man. I mean, Brolin is in just rare form these days, and I love it. Yeah. He did an interview not too long ago, but he's telling the story about Denzel on the set of that. He's like, I give my line. He's like, I put my hand on Denzel's shoulder and he's like, he smacks it off, and he's like, don't you have to touch me again? And he's like, he does his laugh. He's like, so, I wasn't sure if he was serious or not. He's like, but when we reshot the scene. I didn't put my hand on his shoulder again.

47:32 Smart man. How about a ranking? Garrett Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop two are Tony Scott films that featured characters that would reprise their roles in one or more sequels. We're there's you know, we're in pre production on a third Top Gun film. We're now hearing that Days of Thunders Cold Trickle maybe returning. In a follow up story as well. So with that in mind, I want you to rank the following Tony Scott movies by how badly you would have wanted to see? All right, movies that these don't They don't exist obviously, but they could have, they should have, and I want you to rank them. I'm gonna give you three, so you just go. You go from three to one on how badly you want to see these?

48:22 Are you ready for your choices? Yes, Sir Crimson tied two with the Number two, starring Denzel in a return to the role of Hunter, who is now captain of an Ohio class nuclear powered submarine, which are considered the dead list in the military history due to the magnitude of their strategic strike capabilities. I don't know who we're fighting, but just crisis with the submarine. Denzel back on the boat. I like it, okay. Deja Vu two as in t. Starring Denzel as alternate timeline agent Doug Carlin being recruited once more into the Snow White Program to stop a political assassination that happened or will happen, depending on where.

49:12 You're at in the timeline. That's number two, okay. And then lastly, how about a Man on Fire prequel starring Denzel's son, John David Washington as a young John Creasy during his time in the CIA. That's your three h rank them for me? Deja Vu too, and that's going down to number three for me right off rep Okay, I'm just saying, as much as I would love to see that, just because you know, him going back to avoid a presidential assassination, that would be a great film, and I would watch it ten out ten times. That being said, that's number three for me, all right. I would put Man on Fire at number two as much as I His son, the great actor, and I would love to see his time and a CIA. Oh my gosh, it'd be amazing.

50:06 But Crimson tied too, Oh my gosh. Now, I was one hundred and ten percent behind this film. Yeah, now that would be my number one I would want to see us. It's got to be the number one. And the idea that that Hunter is now kind of age appropriate, the same as like Gene Hackman was in the original and maybe this time, maybe maybe Hunter might have it wrong. You know, I think we'd get more from the character. I think you're right. Yeah, that would have been Yeah, I think all three of these would have been amazing. Let's take one last break and then we'll wrap things up.

50:46 Welcome back. We're about to wrap up our Tony Scott deja vu episode. Garrett. In the past, we've always talked about, Hey, you know, someone you know just saw this movie, they love the director. What three movies would you recommend? Which you know, they gave us a chance to talk about some blockbuster movies. Yeah, we're reversing it. We're reversing the reversal now. So whether it's written by, directed by, or starring, which underrated project would you suggest someone check out from Tony Scott. I think The Fan with Wesley Snipes and Robert de Niro is okay underrated film, but I absolutely freaking love it.

51:34 Robert de Niro plays an amazing psycho in that film. Yeah, it's always great to see Wesley Snipes, you know, any movie where he's playing an athlete, because he's done it so many times. I believe it for one thing. But yeah, de Niro, he's kind of he's kind of pulling some of that Max Katie Travis Bickell energy. Right. Yeah, it's a great film. Yeah. Yeah, look Azamo I'm a I'm a Yeahzamo fan in that one too. That's that's another good one. And yeah, I and another person I forget that's in it, Elnisio del Toro. Oh yeah, that's right, the hot shot. Yeah, he's the hot shot. Now we'll put that on the putting that on the short list when we get back to our normally normal schedule program next season. We you know, we're doing underrated stuff again. We might have talked about the fan can I can I give you one?

52:28 What's here? Brother? Uh? Two thousand and one Spy Game? Okay, Now, at the moment, it is not on. The list for this year because again we're re covering movies from two thousand and one to two thousand and six. But it's just hard to believe that that it is a very underrated film despite the fact that it stars Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Uh. You know, it had a quiet box office though, and when you mentioned the title, most people don't remember it. No, not at all. But honestly, loved Robert Redford in this film, and it's one of the first roles I actually started to care for Brad Pitt's acting, honestly, because it is before I see a lot of his like inglorious bastards and stuff like that, which is where I absolutely started loving him. As he got into his silver silver Age kind of acting capabilities, I didn't care for young man brad Pitt that much.

53:25 But yeah, speaking of Brad Pitt, do you happen to know what lead role in a blockbuster franchise he said no to in order to do spy game with Redford. Hm, oh, my gosh, Uh, what what genre are we under here? Like we go on to action adventure? We yeah, absolutely, full throttle action blockbuster franchise, several films in the series. My gosh, I'm trying to think because everything heady and it's two. Thousand and one. Think about it's two thousand. And one, right, now you've got me. I don't know what we got.

54:07 Brad Pitt said no to the Born Identity. Oh shoot, okay, yeah. When asked why he took Spy Game over Born Identity, he told the media he committed to Spy Game quote basically because Bob was on board. Though there it is. I mean they were friends. So, I mean a lot of actors do tie themselves to films just because just a chance to work with a director or an actor that they really like. I mean, we've talked about it before on here Kanu just to work with Gene Hackman. He's like, no, I'm taking that haycut, which absolutely you have to have both of those actors in that film. Yeah, Garrett, your thoughts are You're closing thoughts.

54:51 Your recommendation or your non recommendation when it comes to Tony Scott's Deja Vu. So I'm going to go ahead, and it is a must watch. Like I said, this is part of Golden era Denzel for me, Like I said, from about nineteen ninety eight till about twenty ten, every film, whether it's John Q, This Training Day, so many more that I'm just blanking on because he did so much great stuff. Over those few, like twelve year span, I would say, go watch this as soon as you can. I would watch it multiple times because I appreciated it more this time than I did originally watching it. And I'll go back in four days and tell you the exact same thing.

55:39 Yo, perfect man. Uh. It's streaming on Hulu, but it's available to rent on most platforms. I know I watched it on Prime when you recommended I do, so. I'm pretty sure if we weren't doing two thousand and one and two thousand and six movies this season, we would eventually find our way to this one. It's very underrated as far as Tony Scott films go, and it's a fantastic watch. Absolutely Before we go, though, can I can I just give you one last thing that kind of irks me. I don't want to end on a on a But in the final scene with alternate Timeline Denzel, they're sitting in the in the car and they're listening to the Beach Boys song again.

56:30 Yes, buddy. He's kind of lost in the moment and Paula Patten's like, what is it? And you know, he doesn't say anything, but it's a huge missed opportunity for him to say the. Movie's title in the dialogue. He's literally experiencing deja vu. Why not just have him say nothing? Just a little deja vu? I guess it absolutely killed me on the rewatch. Yeah, I was like, cause, like, he's sitting there. I was like, oh, because I you know, like you I forgot, And he's sitting there and he's kind of he's kind of listening to the beat the Beach Boys song, and I'm like, say it. He's gonna say it. Here he comes and she's like what what is it? And he's like like what, No, say it?

57:17 What are we doing? What are we doing? Come on? Oh? Well, uh, next time on a film by we'll be talking more Denzel Washington because we got Antoine Fuquas two thousand and one cop thriller Training Day. Whoa, Garrett, You're with me next week? So uh, it's a Denzel double double double shot listeners. If you've seen it, how would you summarize Training Day in exactly five words? I think I think Garrison come back. He's gonna stun us with now that he knows the rules of the game. It's gonna be fun action thriller film.

58:01 You leie that shit on the outside. Yeah, listeners, tell us how you would explain training day in five words exactly. Uh, go to www dot a film by podcast dot com to give us your answer, or you can email us at a film by Podcast at gmail dot com. If we use your five word synopsis on the show, we'll shout you out on the episode. We'll even give you some a Film by swag. Subscribe to our YouTube channel right now for your chance to win a weekend past to one of several comic cons we'll be at this year. Garrett. It is literally as simple as heading to YouTube hitting subscribe, and while you're there, just help us out hit the like button on some of our content. This helps the channel grow better yet drop some comments. We've had people doing this since the channel's recent relaunch, and it's been a lot of fun, uh interacting with with with a lot of our listeners. I've I've fielded a couple of complaints, you know, you know, people are like, I didn't like that movie or I didn't like this, and I'm.

59:10 Like, okay, well, you know we can talk about it. Listen. Uh. That's what that's what it's there for. That's why the comments exist, you know, so. We definitely encourage you to do that. Find us on social media. You can join us on Instagram, Facebook, and X. As I said, we love interacting with you, sharing opinions, taking your requests for future episodes, and debating great movies. Garrett, I am already excited to come back next week and debate Training Day with you. Busy month for you. You know you took January off, so here you're the You're the guy in February. Hey, you're back up about every every episode, aren't you. I'm all for it. We're gonna go ahead and blaze through February. But it's gonna be a fun month. Brother, got plenty in January, Let's get it.

59:57 It absolutely will be. Uh so for all of you you out there listening to the show, following us on social media, and subscribing to our Patreon and YouTube. We think