Espinoza’s ‘Safe House’ a forgettable addition to action genre
Bon Jovi’s most diehard fans get sick of “Livin’ On A Prayer” every once in awhile, and even “Abbey Road” can be overplayed. Lately people have also been overloaded with such blockbusters as “The Bourne Trilogy,” “Mission Impossible,” “The Hunt for Red October” and the “James Bond” series— along with many less memorable films. It’s gotten tiresome and, unfortunately, “Safe House” fades into the ever-increasing blur.
Daniel Espinoza makes his Hollywood directing debut in this thriller, featuring Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Brendan Gleeson and Sam Shepard. Matt Weston (Reynolds) is a young C.I.A. agent trying to move up the ranks. He seems to be stuck at the entry-level as a safe house “landlord” until, out of the blue, Tobin Frost (Washington) checks in at his safe house (gasp!). Frost is a rogue C.I.A. agent who was once a protégé, and now is enemy no. 1.
Frost is running for his life and has turned to the U.S. Embassy for protection, even though he has no plans of returning to the service. Weston and Frost become the most unlikely pair when the safe house is breached, and are twisted together as Weston begins to doubt whose side Frost is truly on.
Washington, as always, steals the show anytime he is on- screen. His cool, calm demeanor and absolute ruthlessness make Frost an exciting character to watch. Reynolds also turns in a solid performance as the young buck trying to make it big. He doesn’t over-act, and makes the best of the mediocre script he was given.
Espinoza does a fine job keeping the audience on edge, and adding just enough pop to keep viewers waiting in anticipation. The decision to forgo heavy computer-generated imagery makes the film seem a little edgier, and this is reiterated several times in rough, in-your-face action sequences throughout the film. Yet, in order for a film to stand out, it must do one of two things: 1. Be better than the other films of that genre, or 2. Do something new and/or different. The problem with “Safe House” is that it does neither of these two things.
It plays out almost identically to the “Bourne” series, but with a much choppier plot and worse dialogue. The film is full of clichés that pop up like clockwork. America loves underdogs, but the story of “the young C.I.A. agent who stumbles on corruption and ends up sticking it to the man” is dried out. The addition of Washington to the cast is a welcome one, and there is no doubt that he was one of bright spots of the film— but, that being said, someone who walked into the theater late might have been confused because “American Gangster” already came out.
Washington has been there and done that. Much like the film itself, his role is a repeat. (And I’ll take Coach Boon of “Remember the Titans” any day.)
“Safe House” made the most of the tools it had, but the bottom line is that this genre of film is running out of steam.
All negatives put aside, this film was still enjoyable to watch— it is an action film, after all. The fight scenes are a lot of fun, and the car chases are even better. Watching Reynolds work the wheel through the streets of South Africa was an unexpected surprise, and one of the most exciting points of the film. The film also boasts a strong supporting cast. Gleeson revives the nastiness he brought to the big screen as the “Harry Potter” series’ Mad Eye Moody, playing Reynolds’ commanding officer, and Shepard looks perfectly stoic as the chief.
