Safe House (C or 2/4 stars)
'Safe House' (directed by Swede, Daniel Espinosa) is a little long, a little unevenly paced, & too much like a Bourne Identity knock-off. There are bad guys who wind up being good; good guys who wind up being bad. There are car chases, double-crosses, violence. But aside from a pair of nice leading performances, there's just nothing to this film that is truly original. The ploy uses the scenario of a corrupt CIA mole doing everything to avoid discovery. This includes killing the man who has a file containing proof of the corruption of various American & British agents. This man, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), is a former elite agent who went rogue 10 yrs. ago & has been in hiding. He's been branded a dangerous & manipulative traitor, but his name IS legendary within the agency.
When he unexpectedly walks into the U.S. Consulate in South Africa, the stunned intelligence community knows nothing of his motives. He is transferred/remanded to a 'safe house' for brutal interrogation. A hit squad pursuing him finds the safe house & slaughters everyone inside except Tobin & rookie agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds), who survive the slaughter, escape, & reluctantly go on the run together. The CIA gives Matt Weston orders about where to go but, since there's a mole in Langley (at headquarters), the bad guy(s) always seem to be one step ahead of both Matt & Tobin. Much violence ensues.
As I said, aside from the 2 central performances, the details of 'Safe House' kind of blur over for me. The script offers little that's new to the film genre. The action bludgeons you (incoherent crash, kick, bang, stab, repeat). The camerawork is often shaky (wobbly close-ups). The pacing is uneven (kinetic action followed by borrrring stretches). Character development is nil. Dialogue is standard; nor particularly smart. Any twists aren't hidden well enough. And the climax is only okay (very little payoff in the end). Furthermore, it's a pretty ugly film to looks at (blah visuals, grainy cinematography that's supposed to look realistic).
All that said, the film is watchable because of the too-good-for-this-script ensemble cast. It's a shame that actors like Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Shepard, & the like are resorted to such bland, static supporting roles; but they try their best to work with very little substance. At least Reynolds & (particularly) Denzel bring some acting skills & heft to their roles. And there's an emotional scene near the very end involving Denzel that really shows how superb an actor he is. I don't want to sound too harsh on this film. It IS watchable. You'll find far worse movies; even in the CIA conspiracy thriller genre. I'm sure plenty of people will become involved in this spy thriller. Some of the action is deftly handled. The thing is, it's all just such a nothing in the end (not as clever as it think it is).
When he unexpectedly walks into the U.S. Consulate in South Africa, the stunned intelligence community knows nothing of his motives. He is transferred/remanded to a 'safe house' for brutal interrogation. A hit squad pursuing him finds the safe house & slaughters everyone inside except Tobin & rookie agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds), who survive the slaughter, escape, & reluctantly go on the run together. The CIA gives Matt Weston orders about where to go but, since there's a mole in Langley (at headquarters), the bad guy(s) always seem to be one step ahead of both Matt & Tobin. Much violence ensues.
As I said, aside from the 2 central performances, the details of 'Safe House' kind of blur over for me. The script offers little that's new to the film genre. The action bludgeons you (incoherent crash, kick, bang, stab, repeat). The camerawork is often shaky (wobbly close-ups). The pacing is uneven (kinetic action followed by borrrring stretches). Character development is nil. Dialogue is standard; nor particularly smart. Any twists aren't hidden well enough. And the climax is only okay (very little payoff in the end). Furthermore, it's a pretty ugly film to looks at (blah visuals, grainy cinematography that's supposed to look realistic).
All that said, the film is watchable because of the too-good-for-this-script ensemble cast. It's a shame that actors like Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Shepard, & the like are resorted to such bland, static supporting roles; but they try their best to work with very little substance. At least Reynolds & (particularly) Denzel bring some acting skills & heft to their roles. And there's an emotional scene near the very end involving Denzel that really shows how superb an actor he is. I don't want to sound too harsh on this film. It IS watchable. You'll find far worse movies; even in the CIA conspiracy thriller genre. I'm sure plenty of people will become involved in this spy thriller. Some of the action is deftly handled. The thing is, it's all just such a nothing in the end (not as clever as it think it is).