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I think Nolan wrote the main character with Denzel in mind


he probably wrote Tenet about 20 years ago (or at least the rough treatment) but when it came time to making it Denzel was at least 10years too old to be believable as a secret agent (although I guess he could've rewritten it so its an older near retirement agent instead of one starting out).. so went with his boy who sounds the same and told him to act like his dad in Deja Vu

I'd imagine originally he had some other actor in mind for Neil too.. probably someone Bondlike like Brosnan or even Bale. but again too old/familiar now (got to freshen your casts up keep up with trends/whose of the moment/who might help the movie etc..and RPatz is kind of a respected actor now anyway whose worked with Cronenberg etc )

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It could be.

But the boy is miles away from the father. He's boring, emotionless and lacks the charm of Denzel Washington. I don't get how the hell Nolan casted him. It's the worst cast I've seen in a Nolan movie.

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When he first talks (all masked) you definitely think of Denzel ..his voice is unmistakable ..when I heard it it felt like to me as if Nolan was wanting the audience to have that collective memory of Denzel ..then in certain scenes like the one with Caine its like he's acting the way his dad would (probably Nolan instructing him to go 'more Denzel')

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I don't get that vibe at all. Denzel in his prime stole every fucking movie. He was one of those actors that filled the screen. You don't have many actors with that level of charisma.

Here it's Elizabeth Debicki the one that steals the movie. Pattinson did a good team-mode job, probably Nolan gave him the same guidelines than he gave to Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Inception (it was basically the same character). And Denzel Jr...

Denzel Jr., c'mon. If he's even remotely like his father, I'm John Wayne.

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C'mon stop worshipping blacks. Denzel with his money he could go to Africa, but he prefers to stay in White America being put on a pedestal.

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Totally agree about his acting being bad. Going into this movie I was already wary with David Washington being the lead because I thought he was the weakest part of Blackkklansman, but hoped he might be better in this with Nolan... Nope.

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I think that's a weak and narrow-minded assessment.

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Denzel is a solid actor... His son sucks at acting and is too goofy looking... He was comical in BlacKKKlansman too and that barely worked because it was a comical, spike lee movie... Probably more suited to sitcoms...

Does this dude even lift? Lacked the physicality required of such a role. Even Pattison looked more suited due to at least having attitude...

Tom Cruise is a smaller guy, but you believe he can hit hard, he's intense when he needs to be... This guy has nothing, apart from a voice similar to his father, but without the emotional range...

The movie could have worked with a plain, non-emotive actor, but one who was at least believable... The protagonist is too goofy, but it's still a good movie...

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He is definitely bland, I felt no connection to his character at all - which is both the script and the acting at fault.

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