On Denzel Washington

Great actors are sometimes (also) theorists. They might have a theory of acting.

One example is Julianne Moore. In interviews, Moore will identify a misconception: People think acting is "lying," but in fact, it's the opposite. Acting is a way of getting at the truth. If you're a child, engaged in pretend play, you have full conviction that you are a sorceress, or a dragon. Professional acting is an attempt to regain that "child mind" -- and to wear another person's "psychic skin."

On the set of "Friday Night Lights," Kyle Chandler would get impatient if his young colleagues were too demonstrative. "You don't have to do much of anything with your body. If you fully understand your character, and you feel the things that that person is feeling -- then all the important info will come directly through your eyes."

Denzel Washington is on various screens this week in "The Equalizer III"; the film met with disapproval on Ebert.com, but it's really fun. Basically, Washington is a new version of John Wayne or Gary Cooper--understated and extremely confident and always correct. There is no moral ambiguity in the script; the title character never seems uncertain about what to do. At the same time, there's a small mystery; the Equalizer seems to have a strong sense of affection and worry about one particular young character, and you're eager to find out "the secret history" between the lines. Washington can suggest care and concern without dialogue; his eyes tell you that he is withholding certain stories, and so you can't look away. (Something like this happens in "Unstoppable," too; we perceive a kind of sadness and gravity in the Washington character, but we have to wait until Act III until we really grasp the root of the sadness.)

Washington isn't the only reason to see "The Equalizer III"; you also get a little two-hour trip to Italy. Ebert.com, buzz off! I'd pick this film over "Barbie."

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