Skip to main content

Safe House

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington, and Robert Patrick
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Screenplay by: David Guggenheim

   Nobody is safe in this safe house.
   Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), one of the CIA's most wanted fugitives has just arrived in a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa, a safe house being watched over by agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds).  When the safe house is attacked, Weston has to go on the run with Frost and find a new safe house where Frost can be held until the CIA takes him for interrogation.  Will Weston be able to hold on to Frost and save the day, or will Frost escape and get Weston into trouble?
   The cinematography of this film makes me want to puke it's so bad.  It can at some points make you feel kind of dizzy or queasy.  It's shot handy-cam style, similarly to Chronicle.  They clearly forgot what a tripod is or how to use one.  The entire movie is shot this way and the scene is rarely very steady.  I think this is the lowest point of the film.
    Ryan Reynolds does a fine job in his role as Matt Weston, but I think this isn't the most suitable role for him.  It would be a more suitable role for someone like Matt Damon.  If you've seen any of the Bourne trilogy starring Damon, you might notice many similarities between the roles of Matt Weston and Jason Bourne.  They're both characters on the run.
    There are extraneous characters who seem to be important in certain parts, but it seems like the story could be told without them.  It's like the film is just trying to take up time, something it should not do because the film could easily be half an hour shorter and still not lose any key elements of the story.
    So basically, I can't say that I recommend this film unless you're a fan of Denzel Washington.  He's great in this movie, but it's not his best role ever.  It's rated R, but I don't see much of a reason for it.  Safe House is only somewhat entertaining, but still thrilling.
    I give Safe House a C.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins      If reality television hasn't gone too far yet, then this show should definitely make it go too far.      In a futuristic nation called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected from each of the nation's twelve districts to represent them in an annual television event called the Hunger Games.  Of the 24 contestants, only one will survive in this televised fight to the death.      I like the concept of the story.  While this futuristic society seems somewhat simple, it does not seem all that well developed.  It is unknown how this society came into being, even though it is known how the Hunger Games began.      If this film were released last year, I would have hoped it would be nominated for best make-up.  Many of the characters ...
2 comments
Read more

300: Rise of an Empire

Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, and Rodrigo Santoro Directed by: Noam Murro Screenplay by: Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad      Ladies and gentlemen, Xerxes has returned!  An important note:  if you have not seen the first 300,  leave this page, watch the film, and then read my review for this film.      The Persians are attacking Greece.  Their army is so vast it seems almost infinite compared to the small Greek army.  On the Greek side, Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton), attempts to unite all of the city states of Greece to form a united army to defend their land against the Persian army, whose goal it is to conquer Greece for the god-king, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).  Xerxes's naval commander, Artemisia (Eva Green), leads the attack against Themistokles and his army.  Artemisia is a Greek expat who seeks vengeance for the death of her family.  Will Themistokles be able to unite Greece and def...
Post a Comment
Read more

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Starring: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Cobie Smulders, and Robert Redford Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo Screenplay by: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely      And here we have the newest installment of the Avengers series.  While I don't believe it is mandatory to watch The Avengers before watching this film, I strongly recommend it for some background information that you might not have otherwise.  Certainly watch the Captain America: The First Avenger before this film.      Let me begin by saying that Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) is a really awesome 95 year old.  He currently lives in Washington, D.C. working for SHIELD, whose headquarters, the Triskelion is just across the Potomac River from D.C.  He is called on a mission to rescue a SHIELD vessel in the Indian Ocean that's been taken over by Algerian pirates.  Onboard, he finds Natasha Romanoff, ...
Post a Comment
Read more