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No Good Deed - We know Idris Elba as the ultimate woman’s fantasy, but we can’t help but get excited to see the British babe explore his dark side in No Good Deed.  In the thriller, which hits theaters on September 12, Elba plays a role we’ve never seen him in before: the villain.  Click here to tell us what you would do if Idris Elba showed up at your door!(Photo: Screen Gems) 

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Departure From Playing the Good Guy - As Colin, an escaped convict who preys on an unsuspecting stay-at-home mom (Taraji P. Henson) and her young daughter, the actor has us jumping out of our skin. Having a hard time picturing Elba as an object of terror? Keep reading for more reasons why the actor makes a great bad guy. (Photo: Screen Gems)

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Complex Villain - Elba is known to bring a lot of depth to the characters he plays (a manically-brilliant detective in Luther, or drug dealer with CEO aspirations on The Wire). His portrayal of Colin, a criminal who takes pleasure in terrorizing women, is no exception. Rather than resort to one-dimensional terror tactics, Elba uses his charm and wit to get Henson to let him use her phone, and old-school suspense to break down his victim. Imagine Taraji’s fear when she returns to the front door to find him gone, with the phone lines cut off and all the knives in the house missing.(Photo: Screen Gems)

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Dangerously Sexy - While Elba’s character in No Good Deed may be a dangerous convict with a gun, it’s hard to deny he’s pretty dangerously sexy as well. The trailer for the film treats us to a view of Elba’s abs and his well-defined guns — and we’re not talking about the pistol he keeps tucked into his pants.(Photo: Screen Gems)

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Idris Plays an Escaped Convict - We’re used to seeing Idris buttoned up (The Wire) or trench-coated (Luther), so it’s an interesting change of pace to see him on the other side of the law. He’s as convincing in his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom as he is the bad guy in No Good Deed!(Photo: Screen Gems)

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A Villain of Color With Depth - Actors of color who play criminals in mainstream films are typically relegated to shadowy, hoodie-wearing figures who hit and run. But in No Good Deed, Elba subverts the idea of the faceless, nameless bad guy and gives us a peek into the mind of a killer.(Photo: Screen Gems)

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A Charmer and a Bad Guy - Beware of a handsome stranger — bet Taraji P. Henson had gotten that bit of advice in a fortune cookie before she let Idris Elba use her phone in No Good Deed. The actor used his powers of seduction to get an unsuspecting Henson to go against her better judgment, and she almost immediately suffered the consequences. Can’t say we blame Taraji for her bad decision. It would have been hard for us to turn down Idris!(Photo: Screen Gems)

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The Bad Guy You'll Love to Hate - Everybody loves a great villain, and like Jason, Freddy, Hannibal Lecter and others before him, Idris Elba is the ultimate bad guy in No Good Deed. Despite his evil ways, it’s hard not to be fascinated by his character’s mind. From the way he manipulates his way into Taraji P. Henson’s home to the lengths he takes to inflict terror upon her and her family over one long, stormy night, Elba is certainly a villain who keeps us on our toes.(Photo: Screen Gems)

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Idris Elba Covers Every Genre  - We’ve seen Elba as a drug lord in The Wire, a short-tempered detective in Luther, a romantic leading man in Daddy’s Little Girls, a civil rights icon in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and several kinds of sci-fi butt-kicker in films like Thor, Prometheus and Pacific Rim. The actor is one of the most versatile of his generation, and brings every bit of his chops to playing a villain for the first time for No Good Deed.(Photo: Screen Gems)

Photo By Photo: Screen Gems

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Authoritative Presence - We saw in Elba’s portrayal of Nelson Mandela that he can be a leader without being overbearing. Well, the same goes for the way he plays a murderous convict. While some actors may have resorted to over-the-top gestures to intimidate their victims, Elba inspires fear in a quieter — and far more terrifying! — way.(Photo: Screen Gems)

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Taraji P. Henson - Every villain needs a good victim. Taraji P. Henson, who we usually see in tough, no-nonsense roles, steps up to the plate in No Good Deed. Smart, savvy and not easily defeated, Henson is up to the task when it comes to fighting Elba’s character. This is the first time the two actors have paired up on screen, and we hope it won’t be the last.(Photo: Screen Gems)