Safe House (2012)
Violence and infrequent coarse language
| Director: | Daniel Espinosa |
| Actors: | Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Tanit Phoenix, Robert Patrick, Liam Cunningham, Sam Shepard |
Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is a CIA rookie who is manning a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa, when Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), the CIA's most wanted rogue agent, is captured and taken to the safe house. During Frost's interrogation, the safe house is overtaken by mercenaries who want Frost. Weston and Frost must escape and must stay out of the gunmen's sight until they can get to another safe house.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 110mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
The wild card
by Simon Miraudo, 9/02/2012 8:47:00 AM
Safe House has a lot of elements that - stirred together, and sugared to taste - could be expected to produce something of fairly compelling quality. Reliable leads in Denzel Washington (employing his eternally popular bad guy shtick) and Ryan Reynolds; priceless supporting performers Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Shepard and Liam Cunningham; a fairly uncomplicated plot involving CIA subterfuge and backstabbery; nifty car chases. Safe is right. The Bourne-aping poster for the film should appear in the dictionary next to the entry for ‘dependable if forgettable by-the-numbers action flick’, should your dictionary list obscure and highly subjective cinematic sub-genres. But director Daniel Espinosa – a Swedish import making his English-language debut – does not play by the rules of you...
Safe House has a lot of elements that - stirred together, and sugared to taste - could be expected to produce something of fairly compelling quality. Reliable leads in Denzel Washington (employing his eternally popular bad guy shtick) and Ryan Reynolds; priceless supporting performers Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Shepard and Liam Cunningham; a fairly uncomplicated plot involving CIA subterfuge and backstabbery; nifty car chases. Safe is right. The Bourne-aping poster for the film should appear in the dictionary next to the entry for ‘dependable if forgettable by-the-numbers action flick’, should your dictionary list obscure and highly subjective cinematic sub-genres.
But director Daniel Espinosa – a Swedish import making his English-language debut – does not play by the rules of your awesome dictionary. Safe House is a darker, grimier film than you would expect; at times even suffocating and overwhelmingly intense (and not just during the distressing water-boarding scene). Though David Guggenheim's screenplay ticks the requisite spy-thriller boxes, denying us any narrative surprises, Safe House generates enough genuine startles and provides plenty of aggressive action sequences to elevate it beyond your typical disposable fare.
As mentioned, Washington trots out his chuckling, unhinged baddie act once again – you know whether you love it or hate it by this point in your life – as Tobin Frost, a rogue CIA agent partial to selling national secrets to the enemy. When he acquires a memory card with some truly dangerous intel in South Africa, Tobin finds himself targeted by a mysterious group of assailants. With no choice but to surrender to the U.S. consulate and ensure his survival, he’s escorted to the nearest safe house (hey, that’s the title) for interrogation. Novice agent Matt Weston (Reynolds) is the housekeeper at the Cape Town compound, and he endures a baptism of fire when their location is compromised. Instructed by a variety of CIA handlers (Farmiga, Gleeson, Shepard), Weston must get Frost to another secure location without letting the manipulative cargo inside his head.
The poster isn’t the only thing Safe House has stolen from the Bourne franchise; Espinosa has also nabbed cinematographer Oliver Wood, who brings his trademark shaky-cam to proceedings and does not fail to leave the audience both immersed in the action and experiencing severe bouts of nausea. Still, he’s one of the only DOPs working today that can make this approach seem like an art form instead of an annoyance. Though it's easy to compare Espinosa's approach to that of frequent Washington collaborator Tony Scott, Safe House has us interested in not only his earlier - and still unavailable in Australia - pictures, but also as his future projects.
3.5/5
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Member Reviews (67)
67 Member
Reviews
Robyn
says
Great story. Worth watching.
JeffK
says
‘Safe House’ is a formula movie that is well done but predictable. Shot in Cape Town but with very few local actors or so it seemed. It is slick, polished and in the vein of Bourne. Washington is, as usual, very good but hardly challenged. Ryan Reynolds handled the [pretty ordinary] dialogue well and produced a very credible performance.
says
I usually love Denzel Washington, but I just couldnt get into this movie. I ended up watching a little bit some days and then forgetting the story line, in the end I skipped to the end and didnt care enough to see what happened.
Maureen
says
Usually like Denzel Washington movies. This was not as good as I thought it would be.
Kaz
says
Great movie - thoroughly enjoyed it.
mark
says
Very good movie, a decent story line that has plenty of action
says
ok
says
Was actually very good - a bit "Jason Bourne" if you know what I mean. Quite violent, but very good action sequences. Dialog a bit hard to follow, but overall an excellent action movie.
margaret
says
Anything with Denzel Washington in it you know it will be good movie,it may not be GREAT but it was A OK, well worth a look..
Maddy
says
i didn't know what to expect from this movie but it wasn't too bad. enjoyed the storyline & the action was good. was entertaining.
says
I didn't enjoy this as much as expected as I like both Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Too much shoot 'em up for me.
Bruce
says
As Denzel films go this is not one of his best.
Joseph
says
Absolutely loved this film and wished I'd seen it at the cinema, once again I blame marketing for it's short run. Denzel Washington, well what can be said other than he's one of the finest actors of his generation. Ryan Reynolds finally proves that he's not just Van Wilder. The fight at the end between two of the characters is brutal but you just can't look away.
Judy
says
Excellent movie. Great actors. Enjoyed by my husband and myself.
Wifey83
says
This is great movie. I liked the suspense and the twists and turns of the character. i highly recommend watching this movie if you are into a thinkers thriller... thoroughly enjoyed
Sarah
says
I really liked this movie.... different from your average CIA movie, a bit clever... solid entertainment and certainly worth watching.
Matthew B.
says
Okay. Some folks, especially guys, will love it I reckon.
Phillip
says
OK movie , the bad guys are of olympic athlete standard ,Ryan's character ,in my opinion is unrealistic ,the plot is simple.
One criticism , the difference in the sound level between the noise and music and some of the quiet conversation.
Denzel is always great
dean
says
great movie
8 November 2012
says
A fast moving thriller with many twists and turns. Location excellent with good views of Cape Town
Morris
says
Don't waste your time.
ICP
says
Action and main story line very good - as you'd expect with Denzel Washington. Underlying storyline around the espionage and corruption though very light on and was missing... Would have given it the 4-5 stars... 3 1/2 stars though as exciting movie.
bags
says
Good entertainment..
Lisa
says
Really great movie, lots of twists and great acting. I enjoyed it all the way through.
says
Good movie, typical Denzel action movies. He always add a layer of authenticity to these roles unlike your usual action heroes. Took me a while to find Ryan credible but he got there in the end.
Pfurball
says
Damn good action movie, lots of twists and turns and gripping to the end. Typically good Denzil Washington and surprisingly good Ryan. Thoroughly recommend.
Minsdad
says
Denzel Washington never appears in a bad movie. The story line is somple. A wee bit too much violence. But all in all a good movie. Would recommend it.
JLOinDaHouse
says
Fell asleep half way through. Disappointed especially as Im a fan on Denzel!!!
loretta
says
highly recommend this movie it was awsome
D.M.
says
Can't go wrong with a film starring Denzel Washington, and this one is no exception. This movie is one of the best spy films I've seen - the acting, the action and the storyline all top notch. It's called "Safe House" but not all the events take place inside the house (re - spate of movies taking place in a small/confined area in recent years). No, the title more alludes to what might be perceived as a 'safe' house - the CIA, homeland security etc.. Two very excellent features of this movie is that all the action scenes are so realistically done, and all the viewer is brought right into the fight scenes so they are not merely (yet another) fight scene or gun battle, but taking the audience into the intimacy of the action. Ryan Reynolds is highlighted in this movie to his absolute best and he and Washington's character are put together in a finely-balanced interaction that bedazzles with subtely and impact. A film for adults with a non-confusing storyline and one of excellence in the action genre.
Rocky
says
Wow what a movie Denzel is superb plenty of action and a good story
Bren
says
This is great story and with Denzel Washington actor, was great viewing
Noel
says
A little slow to get going but once the action starts it is full on. OK as some reviewers say there is not a whole lot that is new in the script and that is true as far as it goes, but then again there is not a whole lot new in any spy movie, it is how it is done and this one is done pretty well. Very enjoyable.
Phil
says
Very unoriginal and kind of boring.nothing much you haven't seen somewhere else.
Willow
says
Another bad movie.. Dont even bother wasting your time with this one..
Purplesue
says
Agree with the rest of the reviewers - full on action and a great script. Not that hard to pick the "baddies" in the CIA tho. Keeps you interested from beginning to end.
says
Really enjoyed this one. Denzel Washington is superb in this, as always. Worth watching.
juliekym
says
If you like your typical full on action movies then you will love this one. I'm pretty much getting tired of the same ol' same ol' type of movie which has been done to death. I did enjoy it for a while but then was distracted and let my husband watch it to the end.
Jojo
says
I enjoyed this - good espionage flick with a bit of confusion (I found) but all in all pretty good viewing.
stanarosa
says
good movie lots of action.
annioakly
says
Good movie lots of action
says
Great movie, kept you on the edge of your seat.
says
Denzel Washington action. Couldn't ask for more than that! Fast moving, never a dull moment. I would highly recommend this movie if you are a person that likes action.
Brian Fitzjohn
says
Top rate action movie set in South Africa but nothing really to do with South Africa, other than the setting. Action all the way. Denzel Washington is brilliant - I have been a fan since 1st seeing him in 'Training Day'. Ryan Reynolds does a good job.
This is one of those CIA ‘double Agent' type of plots and it was hard to work out who was double crossing who? This was obviously deliberate and makes for a great finish. Highly recommended for fans of action movies.
Johno
says
I like my action and thrillers movies and this did not disappoint at all, top show.
Janice
says
Excellent movie. Denzel Washington is such a brilliant and versile actor, never disappoints. Ryan Renolds played a strong part in this movie.
JB
says
As always Denzel is superb and the up and coming Ryan Reynolds plays his part very well. Action, drama and suspense. great movie!
John C
says
Good old Denzel. Always a good performance.
Worth a watch.
jtbug
says
Took itself a bit too seriously and I think this movie would have been better served had it gone for pure action thrills rather than try to get a few muddled ideas across. The car chase is solid gold though.
Monday 9/07/2012
says
Great action movie, just love Densel Washington
Posted Monday 9/07/2012.
flatcoatblack
says
This movie didn’t grab me at all, the beginning was dull, and then right through the movie it was gunshots, hiding and noisy car chases. No one knew who was who and I found it all amounted to nothing with a bad ending. Dull, noisy with a poor story line.
Legend
says
Maybe I am a high marker here but for action you will not be disappointed. It's pretty non stop. If you were looking for a thriller it is ok but the emphasis is much more on the ACTION here...
sunnycoastgirl
says
Good movie. Denzel Washington was a great cast for this movie as usual. The surprise was Ryan Reynolds in an action as I have only seen him in romantics and he did a good job in this movie. Worth a Saturday night watch so add it to your cue.
Phil
says
Good action movie, typical where the good guy gets beaten up but can still manage to run and keep fighting, whereas we would be looking for a hospital. If you like the Bruce Willis Die Hards, then this will please.
John
says
yep nothing special, but a really good watch, ryan reynolds is decent and dw is solid. 4/5
andrea
says
great actors,good movie best ive seen lately lots of action and good story
raquel
says
Great! was not what I expected, twists and turns kept me watching this one!
nicko
says
Brilliant, full of interest and intrigue with plenty of unusual twists and turns.
Fred
says
Another great movie with Denzel Washington! Entertaining from start to finish.. Ryan Reynolds impressive again.
Mim
says
I didn't think I was going to enjoy this film as much as I did. I was put off by the 'bonus' section, which I viewed before watching the movie, and thought "Oh no, it's full of car chases and fighting!" So I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the film and was it kept my attention to the end. The storyline has been done many times before... spy goes rogue, conspiracy, double crossing etc but it was a pleasant afternoon's viewing.
Cameron
says
Really good
gerd
says
Lots of action: car chases, gun fights, fist fights, knife fights and so on. It all gets a bit tedious and hard to work out who is out to get who and why. It gets a bit clearer towards the end, only to end up just as confusing as ever.
poshreany
says
good movie, nothing special or unique though.
M
says
brilliant! Am not a usual action fan - yeah simple plot - but Ryan Reynolds seems to be coming into his own as a leading man.
Cairo49
says
Yep, it's a simple plot and there is nothing new in it, but I like both main actors and therefore enjoyed it.
Not a fan
says
Nothing new about this one. Another car chase, a lot of fights and a story that has been told 1000 times. Only if you have time to waste.
Peter
says
Simple plot. A chase from start to end. Easy to watch.