Safe House

"Safe House" from 1998 stars Patrick Stewart, Kimberly Williams, and Hector Elizondo.

Stewart plays Mace Sowell, a former operative for the DIA (not CIA as he's quick to point out) - the Defense Intelligence Agency. Now retired, he lives as if he is about to be killed any second. In his bed is a dummy version of him, while he sleeps in another area; he has a room full of computer monitors which track what's happening on his property, monitors conversations, and he seems to always be signing into something top secret. When he goes out in the car with his daughter Michelle (Joy Kilpatrick), he is heavily disguised and lying on the floor in the back seat. His doctor (Elizondo) prescribes medication for him that he won't take. He periodically schedules "drills" which includes such things as attacks on his home where a masked man (actually his friend Marc) uses his maid as a human shield.

It's clear to Michelle that her father needs round the clock care, as he's in the early stages of Alzheimer's. In order to allow him to stay at home, she hires a social worker, Andi Travers (Williams) to stay with him. Over time, the two form a bond. He tells her that he has enough evidence against his old boss at the DIA, Thomas Michelmore, who is running for President, to ruin his career. Michelmore has already had several people eliminated who knew too much, and Mace believes he is next.

Mace has this evidence on a server that will email it to every news outlet in the world unless it's reset with a new password every 24 hours.

So the question becomes - okay, he probably is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, but is he just paranoid or is someone really out to get him? Is any of this true? It's clear his daughter, her husband, and Mace's doctor don't believe him. Will Andi?

Really fantastic film that keeps you absorbed and involved until the very end with lots of surprise action and humor, all leading up to a fantastic finale.

Patrick Stewart is wonderful as a man who realizes he's going over the edge and fights every second to stave off dementia. Kimberly Williams as his patient and level-headed caretaker does an excellent job throughout, as does James Harlow (Marc) who is constantly coming up with new impressions of actors, everyone from Jim Nabors to Jimmy Stewart.

Highly recommended.

My one line summary is a reworking of the tag line "The less you know, the safer you are". Reading the original synopsis on IMDB gives too much away. If you haven't read it - don't. Just RUN to the store and rent this video. Be like me and don't read the synopsis on the box either. Just take my word for it and that of the anonymous author of the very well written comments that precede mine. This is a GREAT movie. It's witty, falling down funny, sad as blazes, suspenseful, and exciting. Stewart and Williams are dynamite together.

This movie was billed as a thriller and a semi caper film. Though I adore Patrick Stewart the movie had a very very 'Baywatch' feel, silly American production stereotypes and poor direction made it into a movie rather difficult to take seriously. Any scene with Patrick Stewart by himself is well done and believable. The other characters seem to get in the way of the main idea of the movie and blow of proportion the Clandestine sub plot (which was what the main plot was billed as) or the Maguffin if you will. This movie is worth a watch, but it isn't exciting or memorable really. Sloppy production, miscasting, misdirection and a weak story take away from what could have been a terrifying film about the middle aged 'coming of age' into senility and the fear that accompany's that.

The concept of making the audience wonder whether the hero is really being threatened or is the victim of delusions, has been used several times recently. I enjoyed this take on it better than most and I love Patrick Stewart in any role! I hadn't expected it to be so heart-wrenching at times, but it was. One scene, in which Mace (P.S.)is doing a cognitive test for his doctor, was particularly effective. As a result, this was not only a suspense movie it had some very realistic portrayals of the slow but steady mental decline of Alzheimer's victims--and how tragic that is, as they realize it is happening. I think I appreciated that accurate and informational aspect as much as I did the mystery of Mace's activities with his complex computer set-up. I watched this while walking on my treadmill and usually do a movie in two sessions. This one kept me going through the entire time.

I will start by admitting that I'm a Star Trek fan, and in particular a Next Gen fan. So yes, I have a bias towards liking Stewart, although I think most can agree he is a skilled actor.

That concession aside, and as my summary suggests, this is not an epic movie, just a short story. I loved the set design, which was quite clever; where most movies tend to create the impression of big houses and locales, this one manages to create the impression of close spaces, as appropriate for a fortress in suburbia.

You will continue to guess at whether or not Stewart's paranoia is justified or just symptoms of Alzheimer's until the very end. Stewart is well fitted for the part, or at the very least he was convincing to me. I think this particular says something since I'm used to seeing him as Captain Picard.

I wouldn't try to sell this off as an accurate portrayal of how DIA operatives act when they retire. I wouldn't know anything about that. I don't even know if there is such a thing as the DIA.

What I will say is that the movie is best taken as a diversion, a fun romp that keeps you interested, but it doesn't grip you like an epic. Perhaps rightly so, since the subject matter doesn't fit an epic movie anyway.

As a final note, I still don't see anything wrong with genre mixing. Why can't you have a drama that's funny, or a comedy with serious action, or whatever it is you want to blend? If it works it works, if it doesn't it doesn't, and it works for me here. (See as an example "The Big Hit," which the writer called a "hip-hop comic Hong Kong action movie") This movie is a small little tidbit, to be taken and enjoyed as such. 8/10