I still remember the very first time I watched Denzel Washington’s 2006 film Déjà Vu. I was 12 years old, and completely enamored because I had never seen anything like it before. Sure, there were other time travel movies I already had under my belt such as the Back to the Future series, The Terminator and even the classic 2004 rom-com 13 Going on 30. But Déjà Vu was unlike anything I had ever watched up to that point. Directed by Tony Scott and starring Washington, Val Kilmer and Paula Patton in one of her early breakout roles, the plot centers around an ATF agent who travels back in time in an attempt to prevent a domestic terrorist attack that takes place in New Orleans. To my surprise, the film received mixed reviews from critics—something I wasn’t aware of until rewatching recently.
It’s now been 18 years since Déjà Vu’s original release, and rewatching it now, at age 30, has given me a new perspective. While still as enamored with it as I was all those years ago, I also now have the belief that this is one of Washington’s most underrated movies. Here are a few reasons why you should give it a watch.
