Safe House (2012)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Best movie of this year hands down!

An absolute waste of money

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I mean if you are going to bring in Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington, Brendan Gleeson and Vera Farmiga...you're pretty much halfway to making a good film. Yet somehow this still fell short from being great. We follow Washington who plays a dangerous renegade with important information. On the run from mercenaries that raided a safe house, Reynolds attempts to prove himself by bringing him in. Full of espionage, double crossing and a damn convoluted plot in an attempt to make it engaging. But in actual fact, it's just generic. If you've watched this, then you'll probably remember nothing about the story. Seriously, give it a shot. Acting though was spot on. Washington and Reynolds made for an uneasy chemistry and the two work well together. Kind of like a master and his apprentice, except this master is on the opposite side of the law to his apprentice. Farmiga, criminally underrated by the way, was underused. Her character was pretty much pointless which infuriates me every time I watch this. Gleeson was good, but again was underused until the final act. The action scenes were great, the first act is definitely the most lively. A car crash, a raided safe house and a car chase in Cape Town. It was exhilarating and Daniel Espinosa filmed it rather well. Sound mixing was noteworthy, the gun shots were loud and piercing which always gets me pumped when watching an action flick. The locations were varied, from the streets of Cape Town to a football stadium filled with hooligans playing vuvuzelas (do you remember them? Flipping awful things). Just nothing felt fresh. It's a "been there done that" scenario too scared to try something new in case the film doesn't make back its budget. If the plot was engaging, this would've been a great surprise but sadly it's just good. Entirely watchable and well crafted, but nothing outstanding.

Judging this movie strictly on the basis of entertainment value would surely give a 10/10. The action is non-stop and certainly intense throughout. The fight choreography is also extremely well done, while they don't adopt the "Bourne" method of just shaking the camera rapidly throughout the scene to give the impression of quicker and more complex fighting moves. The fight scenes with Ryan Reynolds, in particular, are shot in a way that show each individual move, which was incredible to watch.As for the acting, Denzel needs no description and was absolutely ideal for the role. I knew exactly what kind of stellar performance I was going to see immediately upon his first line with the MI6 agent. Ryan Reynolds was the surprise here, as I had little to no respect for his acting ability prior to this role. His casting as the protagonist actually slightly deterred my interest in seeing the movie initially. I've now been on the Reynolds bandwagon since viewing Safe House due to how well he portrayed this character. His acting specifically after the last fight scene in the desert safe house was quite impressive. The chemistry between Denzel and Ryan carries the film and makes their gradual character development all the more believable. Safe House should be recommended to any viewer hoping for some action packed entertainment.

I have read the comments here and was shocked, and not so shocked at some of the negative reviews. The movie is well written, dialogue and character development is superb. Not to mention, while albeit somewhat predictable, the plot progression is perfectly paced. Tobin Frost, played by Washington, was slightly disappointing in that he does not get into the heads of others nearly as well as his reputation would have suggested. The depth of his character only comes into play after a majority of the movie is completed, but the depth is extreme to those that have the mental capacity to understand it in it's stoicism. He needs a little work on his action sequences in this film, nowhere near up to par with previous performances this phenomenal actor has portrayed. Matt Weston, brought to life by Ryan Reynolds, green and ambitious agent that he is brings a dynamic that would be hard to replicate. His side-plot with the girlfriend was woefully lacking but it did not detract from the movie. The surprise was how well he enacted the hand to hand combat sequences, I am a trained martial artists of over 14 years in direct instruction and, I could only take a couple exchanges apart and find major flaws. Now to touch on the pseudo-buddy cop dynamic between these two, it is quickly established and honorably brought into the light. Without going into my past, I can say that I have had similar, albeit under very different circumstances, friendships of necessity that came into existence in very nostalgic to myself ways. The dialogue between these two is not award winning, but is completely believable and realistic. While the plot points have been done before, this movie still does them well. It did not bring anything new to the genre but it exemplified it with great care and nearly flawless execution. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants an endearing and entertaining ride. I know a couple guys that have worked on the covert side of the military, each of them said these two reminded them of one CIA guy or another they met throughout their careers which to me is high praise for this type of movie.

When everyone is obsessed with series TV and piracy means being able to watch pretty much anything at any time, this is an incredible movie. It's ultra-realistic - I live in South Africa and all those details are 100% correct - but the movie is gritty and authentic in every way. Ryan is really, really good - he really pulls this off, and setting him with Denzel works brilliantly. All bit actors, from Vera, Sam Shepard, and especially Rubén Blades, add important elements.Though made in 2012, the backdrop of America's nationalism - where to speak against the USA may get you into trouble - and NSA surveillance scandals, and kids who died fighting in Iraq, believing in something - all make for real poignancy in an thriller/action movie that is still very relevant today.