Safe House, starring Denzel Washington (Tobin Frost) and Ryan Reynolds (Matt Weston) is an action film about Tobin Frost, a rogue CIA agent on-the-run temporarily seeking refuge at South Africa's secret CIA safe house that Matt Weston runs by himself. From the beginning of the movie, Tobin and Matt are chased by mercenaries from one safe house to the next. Tobin's only motivation is freedom and Matt's goal is to be the man to capture the rogue CIA agent in order to earn a promotion. They are forced to co-operate together when almost every agent and mercenary they turn to for help seems hell-bent on killing them both.
Safe House Trailer
This movie is everything you would expect it to be from the trailer. Without spoiling too much, the level of bad-assery that Denzel shows through the character Tobin is on the same level as Man on Fire. Almost every mercenary or agent in this movie has fit their character roles perfectly, except for the most obvious bad guy, who even looks like a bad guy. This movie was set up with the intention of the viewer enjoying the ride and trying to guess who set up who, but due to the casting choice of the main villain, the mystery is not so much a mystery. The most important story bit to note is that both Tobin and Ryan share small bonding moments throughout the film as Tobin gives advice to Matt throughout the course of the film. This plot dynamic is slightly similar to the relationship between Denzel Washington's and Ethan Hawke's character in Training Day.
The hand-to-hand combat action scenes are reminiscent of The Bourne Identity series of films by Matt Damon and the gun play is slightly above average. There are snipers, men with knives, glass and a teeny tiny romance element that does not threaten to overtake the film like in last year's Killer Elite. The score is great and so is the whole movie. I wish I watched it at the movie theater.
I give this movie 4/5 stars. The score probably would've been higher if I wasn't watching a cam.
Safe House Trailer
This movie is everything you would expect it to be from the trailer. Without spoiling too much, the level of bad-assery that Denzel shows through the character Tobin is on the same level as Man on Fire. Almost every mercenary or agent in this movie has fit their character roles perfectly, except for the most obvious bad guy, who even looks like a bad guy. This movie was set up with the intention of the viewer enjoying the ride and trying to guess who set up who, but due to the casting choice of the main villain, the mystery is not so much a mystery. The most important story bit to note is that both Tobin and Ryan share small bonding moments throughout the film as Tobin gives advice to Matt throughout the course of the film. This plot dynamic is slightly similar to the relationship between Denzel Washington's and Ethan Hawke's character in Training Day.
The hand-to-hand combat action scenes are reminiscent of The Bourne Identity series of films by Matt Damon and the gun play is slightly above average. There are snipers, men with knives, glass and a teeny tiny romance element that does not threaten to overtake the film like in last year's Killer Elite. The score is great and so is the whole movie. I wish I watched it at the movie theater.
I give this movie 4/5 stars. The score probably would've been higher if I wasn't watching a cam.
... please make yourself at home ... 