Safe House

I did not see this film in theaters due to its rating but after it came on Blu-ray, some people started to watch it and I joined in. The acting in "Safe House" is its best quality but in terms of a suspenseful story, it was lacking in that regard. The script had elements that were predictable but there were still some surprises that, because of their direction, saved the movie.

One example is when Wade is shot in the car at the start of the show. I didn't see it coming and that kicked off the action quite nicely. Director Brad Bird created the same kind of effect on "Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol". "Safe House" also did pretty well at providing exposition for our main characters, Frost and Weston. We know that Frost is very manipulative and being a former CIA man, it adds to the suspense. I like how Weston's life goes from being boring to housing a high profile criminal. The use of editing during the action scenes I thought was good. There is randomness but you can still follow what is happening on screen. The fast pace of the editing does not overwhelm the audience. The soccer stadium scene was fun for me because of its design and use of location/extras. I like the plot point using the line, "You've done a fine job." You really start to wonder yourself what Weston should do. Once Carlos is suddenly shot (this is once again handled well by the director), it is obvious that someone at Langley is corrupt because they were spying on Weston's Internet activity. From the start of the film, my money was on Barlow as the one who gave away the secret location of the first safe house and I won. This was due to the casting because I am a fan of Brendan Gleeson. Of all the cast members who play characters at Langley, he stuck out the most and they should have cast someone less well known so as to support the plot twist. Oscar winner Denzel Washington is a good as always. I love his breathing during the water torture scene. As the film started, I was curious as to how Ryan Reynolds would do in this type of show. His personas from the flop "Green Lantern" and the comedy "The Change-Up" caused me to doubt his abilities as an actor. He did really well in this movie acting with Washington. I was impressed.

"Safe House" had its moments but not enough to make it all that fun. The acting was impressive from Washington and Reynolds but it is obvious that the former caries the film. Without Washington, the movie would not have been so successful. In my opinion, the focus of a film cannot be on one actor. The story must be able to stand on its own and then by supporting it with other cinematic elements, it becomes better than when it was in script form. The story of "Safe House" was a little too cliché. Thanks to the direction, the surprises did feel genuine enough to create some entertainment.

3 Stars