Safe House
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington, Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Shepard
Running Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: February 10, 2012
PLOT: A CIA agent (Reynolds) who watches over a safe house in Cape Town becomes responsible for his latest "house guest," fugitive Tobin Frost (Washington).
WHO'S IT FOR?: Do you think Denzel Washington is always right, even when he's the bad guy? Are you willing to sacrifice expectations of a smooth story for loud booms and bangs and Washington scowls? If so, Safe House will probably make you feel right at home.
EXPECTATIONS: The few TV spots I had seen featured a lot of colors, which made me wonder as to how much style would be in store. Considering the title, I was curious as to how much time would be spent in the movie's title location. Was the whole movie going to consist of Reynolds trying to keep people out, while Washington makes snarky comments and grins?
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS:
Ryan Reynolds as Matthew Westin: Anyone who felt trapped with Reynolds in Buried knows that there's more to him than just being a really good-looking frat dude. In Safe House, Reynolds nudges mainstream audiences in a direction of desired seriousness with his wide array of acting duties - crying, fighting, bleeding a lot, letting Denzel emasculate him, and much more. Reynolds fits in this "accidental hero" role in the same way Justin Timberlake worked in the sci-fi movie In Time. Since Reynolds isn't put on us as the main action attraction, we lean towards accepting him despite any imperfections in character or performance. Score: 5
Denzel Washington as Tobin Frost: It's a known fact that the almighty Denzel could play a character who casually farts into paper bags and he'd still excite moviegoers. Washington's place on a short list of golden Hollywood royalty comes with immortal charisma; we immediately respect any character he plays, and entitle such characters to our utmost attention. When Denzel speaks, we listen. He uses his presence here to teach whippersnappers like Reynolds to question authority and respect elders, continuing a long streak of tough love mentors in his recent acting career like in Unstoppable, or more famously Training Day. He does this by doing other entertaining Denzel things, like hitting people, grinning, and teasing younger folk for not being smarter than him. Score: 5
Rest of Cast: Highly capable actors like Vera Farmiga and Brendan Gleeson are given drab suits, distracting haircuts, and cliche dialogue. They play the type of Control Room leaders who actually have little control over Tobin Frost's shenanigans. Score: 4
TALKING: Safe House is the type of movie that gives audience members character backgrounds through CIA debriefings. This happens twice in the movie, and each "reading of the file" of the two men seems full of useless information. Denzel has a few one-liners like "I only kill professionals," but no blurb from his grinning wise wit really sticks out. Score: 4
SIGHTS: In terms of visual style, Safe House aims high and misses. The cinematography isn't given a strong dynamic by its heavy contrast coloring, and the shaking cameras will have you pining for the comprehensive fight scenes of Haywire. Car chases are aplenty in Safe House, but are jumbled by a lack of clear editing. Even the time and place marker in the corner of establishing shots seems like a bit much. Score: 5
SOUNDS: As featured in the Safe House trailer, "No Church in the Wild" by Kanye West & Jay-Z is only used to play out those who leave during the end credits. The score hovers over the story of Safe House from start to finish, and even makes some "surprising" explosions seem like they arrive right on time. Score: 6
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: The bloody scuffle scene between Keller and Westin brings Westin's apprenticeship full circle, with Frost observing quietly. It's a strangely powerful moment.
ENDING: Safe House shares some of its ending with a more entertaining action movie from late last year. The movie takes a silly route so as to keep its conclusion open for general ambiguity, or even a sequel.
QUESTIONS: Is it possible for a car chase to be too much? And after becoming the most wanted person in the world, where is Matt going to hide now?
REWATCHABILITY: Safe House is perfect for channel surfing. If I came across it on TV, it would hold my second-round attention for a few minutes.
OVERALL
With one legendary star leading the way with a watchable co-star, Safe House is an average piece of entertainment that can't smoothly execute its action movie aspirations. It's a movie nearly overshadowed by Denzel Washington, a star who actually doesn't even have to lift a finger to assert his power. Without Washington, Safe House would be demoted to the level of a movie like Man on a Ledge.
Safe House has a few twists in store, with some surprises executed in a cleaner fashion than others. This is the type of action movie that will do anything for a twist - even if it means jeopardizing intelligence. Still, there are enough surprising gunshots and explosions in Safe House to insure Denzel Washington fans a lack of bored security.
FINAL SCORE: 5/10