12 Years Later, Denzel Washington’s Gritty CIA Thriller Is Reintroducing Itself on Streaming

6 days ago 11

Published Feb 21, 2026, 12:40 PM EST

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

Few filmographies are as impressive as Denzel Washington's. From winning an Academy Award for his performance as the mean-spirited Detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day to stealing the show in 2024's divisive Gladiator sequel, Washington never fails to make his mark on any given project. Because of his talent and longevity, Washington has had the chance to work with many notable names, with his next project, Netflix's Here Comes the Flood, starring the actor alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones and Robert Pattinson.

Back in 2012, Washington starred alongside resident Hollywood funnyman Ryan Reynolds, as well as Vera Farmiga, Harry Potter's Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, and Liam Cunningham, in the pulse-pounding action flick, Safe House. A crime thriller that divided critics, earning 52% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Safe House is chair-gripping at its best and frustratingly predictable at its worst. Unsurprisingly, Washington is perhaps the highlight, delivering a typically electric turn as Tobin Frost, a veteran CIA operative accused of betrayal.

If you have yet to experience Safe House and are intrigued by a Washington/Reynolds partnership, you're in luck, as the movie is about to head to a new streamer. As of March 1, 2026, you'll be able to watch Safe House on Starz in the U.S. The movie will be hoping to replicate some of its box office success on this new streaming platform, having earned a strong $207 million worldwide back in 2012, against a budget of $85 million.

Denzel Washington Gave Ryan Reynolds Life-Changing Advice During 'Safe House'

Never one afraid to name-drop, Reynolds has mentioned his time working with Washington on Safe House in many interviews since. In 2024, the Wrexham Football Club owner was discussing how he was "most proud of" his work as a producer, and had mentioned how, as an actor, if a movie flops, it is often he who is "associated with the failure." "That happened a number of times, and it changed something in me," Reynolds acknowledged, before admitting that a piece of advice from Washington changed his professional outlook forever:

"I’m more passionate about storytelling than I am about acting. If I win, great. If I lose, I get to also feel like I was the architect of my own demise. The first time that happened in the most full-throated way was in producing the first Deadpool. That was where I found my voice. I worked with Denzel Washington years ago — not to name drop — and he said something so wise and simple: ‘If you don’t trust the pilot, don’t get in the plane.’"

Safe House will stream on Starz this March. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.