Safe House

SAFE HOUSE is a South Africa-filmed action flick that inevitably finds itself heavily indebted to the whole Paul Greengrass BOURNE style in the tale of a cop and a crim who have to team up when they find themselves pursued by a ruthless and murderous gang.

What we have here is an entirely familiar film that nevertheless manages to score a few points along the way, mostly in the action stakes. For SAFE HOUSE is a fast paced, action-oriented movie that features a handful of breakneck shoot-outs, and a film that's held together for the most part by another assured role for Denzel Washington.

Washington can do these kinds of roles in his sleep by now, and it's fair to say that the character of Tobin Frost is hardly a stretch. Nevertheless, he's the best thing in the film by far, delivering a kind of laconic toughness that really works in its favour. Ryan Reynolds is, inevitably, less impressive as the forgettable younger lead, but there are a handful of decent supporting parts for the likes of Liam Cunningham, Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, and Robert Patrick.

While the plot is routine to say the least, SAFE HOUSE at least looks good and the cinematography is strong. The plot has its share of twists and turns to keep viewers engaged, and I thought the violent but inevitable climax was particularly decent. Not a great film then, but a solid one nonetheless.

If you have seen conspiracy flicks like "Enemy Of The State", "The Bourne Identity", "XIII", "Unknown" and so on and so forth, you really won't be surprised by this movie. The story presents nothing new and is about the usual stereotypes: the good one turn out to be the bad ones, the bad ones turn out to be the good ones, the weak ones turn out to be the strong ones and so one. I think you get what I mean. The movie has no big surprises after all.

But if this kind of movie is well done, it can still merit a rating of eight points. I only give six point five and for this site seven points because of the mediocre camera work that was shaking and irritating at some points of the movie.

The rest of the film is quite decent. The locations are interesting and the movie takes place in Cape Town in South Africa and not in Europe or North America. The fighting and action scenes are very well done and with the visual and sound effects in cinema, it's a pleasant entertainment to watch this movie for sure. It's a good flick to change your mind, to relax and to take a break from your everyday life for sure. The acting is also rather good with two strong lead actors that are a very cool Denzel Washington and a sympathetic and determined Ryan Reynolds.

The only little flaw is that I would have liked to know more about both characters, especially about their past and what really led them to do what they actually do in the movie.

The movie simply has not the greatest script to stand out among many other similar flicks but it's still a good film. I would suggest you to rather watch the movies I talked about in my introduction or classics like "I As In Icarus" but if you have seen and liked them all, you will surely appreciate this work, too.

I'm of the opinion that out of all the movie stars and would-be movie stars in Hollywood, Denzel Washington is one of, if not THE, safest bet. I say this because I don't think I've ever met a person who dislikes the man. In a culture that is built upon strong opinions and holding to said opinions fiercely (this is the backbone of the industry in many ways), it is a remarkable feat to put together a 20+ year career like Denzel has without drawing the ire of someone or some group. Age, race, and gender seem to matter not when it comes to Denzel, whose films almost always find a way to exceed expectations whether they are magnificent (Training Day, American Gangster) or wholly lackluster (John Q, Unstoppable). There is an overriding sense among a high percentage of moviegoers that if Denzel is in, so are they. Safe House, a solid if uninspired action thriller, has proved this theory to be true. Instead of the undercover investigations and shoot outs he expected when he joined the CIA, Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) has been relegated to manning a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. He is bored and he wants some action, a desire that is all too well fulfilled at the outset of the film when former CIA agent-turned-traitor Tobin Frost (Washington) is brought to his house for interrogation. Soon after his arrival, a militant force arrives to take possession of Frost, killing the highly-trained team that brought Frost into the house. With no other option, Weston grabs Frost and makes a bolt for it, barely escaping the unknown villains who killed his comrades. With no other teams in the area, Weston's superior, David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson), tasks him with keeping Frost alive and in custody until he can be collected, a proposition which turns out to be much more difficult and complex than Weston would have ever imagined. With the assailants hot on their trail and Frost crawling deeper and deeper in Weston's head, the young agent must think fast and learn on the run before he becomes another casualty of a dirty battle that Frost has sucked him into. There are a few departures from the main storyline at work within Safe House but these distractions are only there to lengthen the film and add some uninteresting depth. This film lives and dies on the performances of Reynolds and Washington, both of whom come through beautifully. It's been a rough year for Reynolds whose star status has been thrown into serious question with the failures of Green Lantern and The Change-Up. This role, however, is a better fit for him, allowing him to share the load with an established genre veteran instead of being relied upon to carry a major film on his own. I was pleasantly surprised at his ability to give Weston more depth than what you usually get with this sort of film and I thought he hit the right balance between being a half- terrified, inexperienced field agent and being that hardened, "see this thing through to the bitter end" character that Safe House had to have. Washington, meanwhile, is a tour de force, exuding both charisma and menace in just the right amounts. Always a commanding presence on the screen no matter what his role, Washington is at his best when delivering his lines in that quiet, calm, measured manner which he has become famous for and this is a role that calls upon that ability several times. I can't say that this is one of Washington's best portrayals and it's certainly a safer choice than I'd like to see an actor of his caliber make, but it is nonetheless a reminder of exactly why just about everybody digs what this guy has been selling for two decades. Every other element of Safe House plays second fiddle to the work done by the two leads. The action is intense and somewhat gritty; when a shot is fired, you feel it as much as hear it, a characteristic I quite like in a serious action film. The plot itself is rife with generalities and clichés, making the film about as paint-by-numbers as they come. Personally, though, I didn't get caught up in these half-hearted missteps too often. Better choices could certainly be made; the major "twist" could be seen from a mile away and the conclusion was unsatisfactory for me. But given director Daniel Espinosa's relative inexperience behind the camera and the sheer power of Washington's star appeal, these are issues I found easy to overlook as the film progressed. It's nothing new and it's not a film I want to watch a dozen times over but for what it is, Safe House provides an entertaining and appealing experience.

It's an interesting albeit predictable action flick that's nothing special but delivers enough to make it worthwhile. It does feature what has to be the dumbest CIA operatives/handlers ever put on film. What transpires, especially early, will make most viewers say "why in the world didn't they just…" but getting past that means enjoying a film where Denzel Washington perfectly menaces and charms his way through every scene. Put just about anyone else in this role and the film would lose a lot. Ryan Reynolds was good enough and the rest of the stellar supporting cast is absolutely wasted. Again, I found it interesting despite it being three repetitive acts of mindless turns highlighting that the government is pure evil and they apparently keeping hiring the same set of mindless goons who race around guns blazing everywhere with little effect or competence whatsoever. Also, the camera work was AWFUL in terms of the overuse of the shaky cam.

I'll be honest. When I saw the trailer, I was madly excited. It looked fantastic. But then, after a while, I remembered, that the main point of a trailer is to do just that. Hype the film, while revealing literally all the main plot scenes and parts. I didn't know if it was the case with 'Safe House', since, hey, it's Denzel Washington. That man doesn't just do any role.

I just got back from the movie theater, and am I glad that I was wrong. The movie is fantastic, electrifying. Do know that I don't just 'get off' on any action flick. In most cases, I just watch and forget. This was actually, fantastic. I don't have a single bad word to say about it, the way it was directed, acted or anything else. Everything was simply fantastic.

I realize my words sound absurd, and the score looks the same, but it really is worth it. I didn't see an action movie this well written, and this well acted in a really, really long time. Of course, by the end of the movie, any experienced watcher will figure out the ending by himself, but even though you 'get it', it's still extremely fun to sit through and see how the pieces connect.

I really hate long reviews, so I'm trying to make this one as short and sweet as possible. Lastly, have in mind that not one cast member failed his role. Ryan was fantastic, even better then I could've imagined (a nice showing of his acting skills after Green Lantern and Change-Up), and Denzel, what to say that hasn't been already said about that man's acting. Phenomenal doesn't cut it.

Go and see it. It's much better then anything else thats currently 'showing'.