Review

Review Date: 12-February-12
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Safe House (2012)

I'll wager that few trees were harmed during the making of Safe House. Even more than the average thriller, the movie consists almost entirely of chase and fight scenes which likely entailed a very short script. Despite director Daniel Espinosa's attempt at flair, these scenes are nothing to write home about (more saved paper?). In between the action, grim-faced CIA agents bark orders and engage in terse dialogue which adds up to the familiar theme of government underhandedness and the need to destroy evidence and silence secret-holders. (The title refers to a kind of covert facility that apparently dots the globe, ready for use as a jail, hide-out, or fortress when a crisis arises.) Inevitably, a pretty blonde hovers in the wings promising a better life for he who can weather the hailstorm of bullets and corruption.

Safe House might have been painfully tedious with different leading men. As it is, it plays directly into the strengths of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. As a rogue agent who put Number One before Uncle Sam years ago, Washington exudes sexy power and his special brand of gravitas which is only improving with age. He looks convincingly like a crooked character who can still offer valuable lessons to a rookie, such as don't let them treat you like a tool. Reynolds had a disappointing 2011 and this movie isn't going to win him any awards, but he continues to prove that he is a remarkably fluid actor. Here his dopey (but lovable) visage perfectly describes the innocence of the untried, dutiful soldier. As the movie progresses he easily conveys the shock, anger, and grief caused by the loss of that innocence, and shows that he can be bad-ass too. Making yet another action flick about the evil that spies do wasn't a great move, but casting these two capable stars was a safe bet.

Copyright © 2012 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.