Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good your lead actors are if the story takes forever to get going. This is the problem with “Safe House” starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington. They’re both as good as here as they usually are. That’s actually part of the problem. Both of them seem to be just kinda going through the motions, which is about all they can do, given the script they have to work with.
“Safe House” is about a former CIA agent turned international criminal named Toben Frost (Denzel Washington). During an information exchange in Cape Town, South Africa with a rogue MI6 agent, Frost comes under fire from some bad dudes and turns himself into the American consulate. He’s taken to a safe house, which is under the charge of a CIA agent named Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). Things go bad quick and the safe house isn’t so safe anymore. So Frost and Weston find themselves on the run from the bad guys and some other bad guys we think are good guys.
There are some good action sequences here but they are mostly the usual car chases and gun fights. If you’re not a fan of the Bourne-style shaky cam, be warned because it’s all over the place here. This movie relies on a lot of shaky cam, overly saturated scenes to give it a bleak look. For about the first hour, it’s pretty much non-stop action and never really takes much time to explain why everything is happening. When it finally does explain what is going on, you might not care anymore. There are a lot of characters who aren’t what they seem but that’s nothing surprising for a movie like this.
The disappointment factor comes in the sleepwalking performances given by the lead actors. Maybe the director is to blame for not challenging Denzel and Ryan but it’s clear from they aren’t really into what they are doing here. It’s a shame too. Obviously Denzel is top-notch talent and given right material, Ryan Reynolds may break out as a true talent but it doesn’t happen here.
“Safe House” is a decent action movie if you’re a fan of Denzel and Reynolds but for the most part it’s full of loud action sequences that cover up the fact that it lacks substance. Both Reynolds and Washington are solid here but both performances are pretty low key. These guys are at their best when their charm is fueling their characters.
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Safe House trailer: