There's an old Chinese proverb that goes something like this: "Be careful that you get what you ask for." Matt Weston, one of the main characters in the Safe House, was obviously not familiar with that saying.
Matt (Ryan Reynolds) is a housekeeper. No, he doesn't show up at work with a plunger and Lysol in tow. Rather, Matt is employed by the CIA to maintain a safe house in Johannesburg, South Africa. Unfortunately, his job satisfaction is low. Apparently, he's longing for more than sitting around for days on end hoping for the phone to ring. He wants to be a full-fledged agent and is more than a tad eager to prove his worth to the agency. Let's just say that ole Matt gets his chance when Tobin Frost (Denzell Washington) shows up. Frost is a rogue former agent. He's been wanted by his former employer for quite some time. It seems that Frost has plenty of poo-poo on his country and that he's been more than willing to sell it to the highest bidder. In fact, it's his most recent deal--a list of agents and operatives--that has prompted Frost to knock on the door of the American Consulate in South Africa, essentially turning himself in to the USA. This, of course, beat the alternative of being served up on a platter by a group that is hunting him down relentlessly in hopes of getting that list.
Things are so hot that the safe house turns out to be anything but. It gets raided by this group, who is eager to take out anyone and everyone on their way to putting the heat on Frost. Yadayadayada Matt escapes with Tobin in tow, as he makes an attempt to get the fugitive in his charge back to the CIA.
It's good...very good. I'll go with 4.0 Stars on this one. I'm never one for an action for the sake of action film. Explosions...fights and chase scenes really don't get me going...unless, that is, it's part of a great story. That's what you get with Safe House. It's a great plot that effectively pulls you into the plight of the characters--and not just Matt. Yes, it's Matt that you're really pulling for here, but you also develop an intimate respect for Frost, his plight and the results that his decisions have yielded.
In a word: Intense. It's a storyline that you find yourself easily vested in due to great writing (David Guggenhiem) and tremendous acting...come on, Denzell Washington and Ryan Reynolds? It can't get much better than that, right?
I don't really have any complaints about Safe House. Usually, with these kind of action-packed dramas, you run into a few of those Hollywood-esque moments of "Hey...what about 'X'...that can't happen because of 'Y'...etc. Sure, you might experience a couple of those moments here. However, my rule(s) of thumb are: 1) As long as it's nothing over-the-top when it comes to affecting the plot; and, 2) As long as there are no more than three of those 'moments'...than, it's acceptable. Safe House more than meets those criteria.
Bottom line: If you gravitate toward movies with a provoking plot...plenty of suspense and action...with great acting; well, then you got to see Safe House and see it BIG! It looks like it's won the Box Office in it's second week, after finishing second last week in it's opener. My advice would be to join the masses and see this one soon!
True...OUT!
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