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Monday, June 11, 2012

[5.50/10] Safe House (2012)


Safe House (2012)

Brief review: Swedish director Daniel Espinosa's latest feature film is basically a cat and mouse game, between a former CIA agent accused for betrayal and a young CIA agent, who wants to prove himself and get a promotion. "Safe House" is your typical spy action thriller, that you will certainly enjoy while watching, but forget as soon as it's over. The film ends up being that forgettable, because of its mediocre script, which tries to cover up its complete lack of originality and fresh ideas with an unnecessarily complex narrative and Espinosa's over-direction. On the top of that, it's twenty minutes too long, and it often feels like it's never going to end. Not everything's wrong with "Safe House" though. It's a technically well-made film that boasts some flashy visuals, brisk editing, excitingly frantic action scenes and tense car chases, that will surely give you a big adrenaline rush. However, it's the talky, slow-paced parts that makes it quite difficult to watch, at times even boring. Set in Cape Town, Africa, the movie takes full advantage of its fantastic location, providing the viewer with good amount of variety, and the vivid cinematography makes it even more visually appealing. It's kind of refreshing to see Denzel Washington playing the 'bad guy' in the movie. He should play villains more often, because he's actually good at that. Who knew? Ryan Reynolds acts passionately as usual, and the role suits him well.

Overall summary: Washington and Reynolds hardly disappoint, the hyper-saturated cinematography dazzles the eye, and the action scenes are sharp, edgy and well-executed, but Espinosa's "Safe House" plays it a bit too safe, and has far more weaknesses than strengths.

6 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

There is such a thing as playing too safe.
Will check out your horror list!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, of course there is. Otherwise I wouldn't have said it. :)

Thanks, buddy!

FilmMattic said...

This is a good example of a fun movie that, while weakened by its flaws, is not rendered a total lost cause.

Good review, buddy!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Matty, well-said. This is exactly the case with "Safe House".

Unknown said...

Well it's good to know there are some admirable qualities about this as I love Ryan and Denzel. Excellent review and I am off to check out your awesome column and see what goodies you prepared for your horror list. ;)

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Mel, there are some qualities about it, but those weren't enough to save it from being a predictable so-so thriller. Thanks, hon! :)