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Is it worth $10? No
He’s played cops, criminals, civil rights leaders and heroes. But let’s be honest: Our favorite Denzel Washington is badass Denzel Washington. Like when he’s a drug lord in “American Gangster,” or winning an Oscar for playing a corrupt detective in “Training Day.”
The trailers for “Safe House” promise more badass Denzel, and that alone is reason to be excited. Unfortunately, director Daniel Espinosa never makes it clear whether Denzel’s character, Tobin Frost, is good or bad. Add to that some predictable twists, poorly shot action/fight scenes and a half-hearted love story and you have a movie that’s a total mess.
Frost is a former C.I.A. agent who went rogue nine years ago and now possesses a microchip with information that’s very important to C.I.A. brass. For no discernible reason the story is set in Cape Town, South Africa, which is where Frost inexplicably (no really – it’s never explained) turns himself in to the American consulate. He’s taken into custody and sent to a safe house kept by Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds), an ambitious young man with a hot girlfriend (Nora Arnezeder) whom we immediately know Weston will later risk his life to protect. When he finally does, we don’t care.
Weston wants a more “active” assignment post, citing the fact that nothing happens in Cape Town. Be careful what you wish for, Matt. Moments after Frost arrives the house is attacked, and Frost and Weston find themselves stuck together with different priorities. Frost plays with Weston’s emotions, but with Washington unable to convey Frost’s motives it’s impossible to know if Frost is evil or trying to help Weston.
Otherwise Washington and Reynolds are fine, and the supporting cast that includes Sam Shepard, Vera Farmiga and Brendan Gleeson adds a touch of class to the embarrassingly simplistic story. For example: At one point Weston loses Frost and needs to find him. Suddenly, he recalls Frost earlier turning a car in the direction of a nearby village and “viola!” Weston finds him. Are you kidding me? Third graders could come up with something more interesting. Sorry, second graders.
And then there are the piss poor action sequences. They occur at random and for no clear reason. Frost is tortured during his interrogation after he says he’ll cooperate. During an escape scene, Weston speeds through a crowded street fair. During fight scenes it’s impossible to know who has the upper hand because the action is edited so fast that you can’t tell what’s going on.
To top it off, the ending is abrupt and leaves you wondering who the true good guys and bad guys are. A little ambiguity is one thing, but to never reveal the motivations of main characters is a disastrously stupid decision that unhinges everything else “Safe House” does well. Which isn’t much.
Did you know?
One sequence was shot at Green Point stadium in Cape Town, which was one of the host locations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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QueenT
said:
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... Loved this movie, anytime its Denzel it's a must see. Sad that he died, wish they could have walked out together. |
omarsprize1
said:
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... I think its funny how basically I agree with most of what you say, but I'm going a different way and giving it about a 3.5/5...maybe a 2.75/4 on your scale. The love story was unnecessary, I agree...the action was fun..but predictable..Denzel was typical badass...but I still enjoyed it, though it could've shaved off an extra 15-20 minutes and I wouldve been happier. |
mosdata
said:
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... I enjoyed this. I liked the movie - as usual, I guessed who the bad guy was, but I thought it was a good movie. |
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