cultfilmfreaksdotcom

(2013-05-19 15:18:24)

Shake, Shake, Shake... Shake, Shake, Shake... Shake That Camera...

If there wasn't so much expository dialog about how formidable DenzelWashington's rogue agent Tobin Frost is, maybe he wouldn't have to liveup to all that infamy once the story's underway.Beginning with a botched heist in South Africa, leading to Frostturning himself in to the C.I.A. and taken to the first of three SafeHouses, where he's watched by a young agent Weston played by anextremely serious Ryan Reynolds.But there are a lot of really nasty people who want him dead, and thefirst of several bombastic action scenes, practically impossible toview as the camera rocks back and forth without ceasing, leads toWeston, with Frost as his prisoner, taking to the streets – till Frostshakes his tail and… When the duo meet again, and we realize the badguys are supposed to be the good guys (like in every Hollywood filminvolving the C.I.A.), it's a desperate fight for both agents, nowteamed up, to stay alive.Washington turns in a surprisingly bland performance as a characterwho, like a Hannibal Lector, is supposed to get into people's minds;and for an agent of his legendary caliber, he seems more confused thancunning. Reynolds holds onto a one-note scowl, and a side story withhis beautiful, put-upon girlfriend means absolutely nothing.But it's that ever-shaky camera that really sinks this clichédthriller. Take plenty of sea sick pills before getting on this ride,and prepare to blame America all over again. It's getting awfullytiresome...For More Reviews: www.cultfilmfreaks.com

Troy_Campbell

(2013-05-19 09:59:54)

Great acting, solid action, grossly unoriginal story.

When I first saw the trailer for Safe House my reaction was one ofjaw-dropping glee. Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington together in agritty, action packed thriller? Only good can come of this. I waspartly correct. Upcoming A-lister Reynolds and veteran heavyweightWashington do make for a fantastic pairing on screen; they both share anatural appeal that reels you in. Unfortunately the material doesn'tmatch up to their dedicated performances. David Guggenheim'spredictable screenplay is lack-lustre at best; his ending is especiallyroutine and lacking imagination. Behind the camera, Swedish directorDaniel Espinosa does a better job, proving in his first Americanproduction that he can handle action scenes both small and large withflair and assurance. However he can't avoid a few missteps, mostnotably the "frustratingly inaccurate henchmen" syndrome that sees themhit everything other than our heroes. If you can look past theseclichГѓВ©d hang-ups and the grossly unoriginal storyline then Safe Housewill be your perfect night out at the movies.

Matthew Turner

(2013-05-19 14:56:01)

Enjoyable, fast-paced thriller with terrific action sequences and strong performances from the two leads, but it's also slightly too long and let down by some annoyingly guessable plot twists.

Todd McCarthy

(2013-05-19 01:03:32)

Dramatically, the film hangs together well enough but the repetitive nature of the action and lack of stylistic shadings and nuance ultimately prove rather grinding.

Alex Zane

(2013-05-18 11:35:41)

The first 60 minutes are tense, exhilarating and exciting with several truly memorable car chases.

Lawrence Toppman

(2013-05-17 17:23:27)

Crash. Kick. Stab. Punch. Talk (briefly). Smash. Chase. Screech. Shoot. Mumble. That's the wearying pattern of Safe House.

Matt Soergel

(2013-05-16 13:09:01)

A neck-snapping, bullet-thumping yarn with Denzel Washington cruising in his super-cool, unflappable, bad-to-the-bone mode; we've seen it before but, hey, why mess with what's working?

jack-marsden8

(2013-05-16 08:25:59)

a fresh captivating thriller

The violent thriller safe house sees Denzel Washington staring asformer C.I.A operative and America's most wanted Tobin Frost whosupposedly "went rogue" years ago. Frost gives himself up to America'sembassy when he is man hunted by a team of elite mercenaries, leadingto him being lead to a safe house manned by rookie Matt Weston (RyanReynolds). This is an immense test for Matt. Enduring countless attacksattempting to seize Frost, Matt's dream job has suddenly becomesreality. Washington's character finally decides to reveal the reason heabsconded from the CIA in the first place and now the unlikely alliesmust stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.My opinion of this movie is that it is a fresh captivating thrillerthat appeals to a wide audience and demonstrates some of Hollywood'sbiggest stars, reminding us of why they are respected so much.

Michael A. Smith

(2013-05-14 18:39:26)

The action scenes are drawn out so long that it's like watching a live action re-enactment of Peter Griffin battling the Giant Chicken on "Family Guy!"

(2013-05-14 05:29:29)

Terrific Thriller

CIA agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is a housekeeper of a Safe Housein Cape Town, South Africa and is bored with the inactivity the jobentails. That is, until Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) a rogue agentand traitor comes there for interrogation. Then the house comes underattack. The question is why did Tobin Frost turn himself into the US Consulatein the first place and who is after him? And, why do the CIA bigwigsbelieve Frost is a traitor? And, how did the bad guys know that Frostwas in the Safe House? Inquiring minds want to know. And, so does Matt.Most of the movie shows Matt and Tobin Frost on the run with excitingcar chases, and shoot-outs. In some cases they help each other, butboth know Matt still has a job to do and that is to bring Frost in. Allof a sudden, Matt is finding out his job isn't so boring after all. There are some twists that seem contrived just so we, in the audience,didn't know who or what to believe: the good guys or the bad guys and,just who are the good guys and bad guys anyway? We like it best when weknow who is who. Bummer. In many ways Denzel Washington is like a George Clooney in that theirfacial expressions say more than their words. And, that is what we havehere. We are told Denzel's character, Tobin Frost, is a traitor, andthe evidence presented is overwhelming, but when we look at Tobin'sface, we feel there is something more going on. And, that boys andgirls, gives us hope.All in all, this has good excitement, tension and suspense and themoments we wait for most are when Denzel's Tobin Frost speaks. We go toa Denzel Washington movie to hear Denzel Washington talk and watch hisfacial expressions. Now you know why we pay the money. For a tokenadmission fee what we get back is pure gold. And, that is what we havehere. This is not to take anything away from the rest of the cast and RyanReynold's Matt Weston, but this is a Denzel Washington show. The entirecast and Reynolds did good, but we paid for Denzel and were notdisappointed. Violence: Yes, strong too. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, but notmuch.

pinkpooch27

(2013-05-13 19:23:57)

More we are great the rest of you arn't from America.

For the fact as someone else pointed out that there are thousands offans wandering around a stadium while a football match (yes the rest ofthe world call it football) is going on. Beggars belief. Is Hollywoodreally this ignorant to the real world? Do they not understand thatthere are other countries much older with culture and traditions thatgo back way beyond their comprehension? It's like they said we'll havea football match to add authenticity or diversity to this production.Then asked if anyone knew anything about it. Evidently not.OK, the movie was same old. America is great everyone else is stupid.We rule the world so there. I'm a little sick of it to be honest. I'velived in America and believe me it's not that great. They live inwooden houses, don't have affordable health or education systems inplace. Don't understand the concept of chip and pin. Spend Billions oninvading oil rich countries but can't control their own borders. Makesme wonder how many terrorists have sneaked over the border with thelatins. Where's the CIA then? Surely to have an intelligence agency youhave to have to some intelligence? Or maybe they can't see the wood forthe trees? The movie was full of this kind of action. The shooters can hit atarget from God knows where and God knows how far away when it's asmall (non American) character but can't hit a barn door from 5 feetaway when it's the American heroes who are the targets.Just for once I would like to see the American movie makers be humbleor eat humble pie like their nation has had to do on many occasions inreal life. I'd like them to look outside their borders and realize thatthere is a whole world out there. 330 million Americans (and a fairpercentage not even Americans) compared to 7billion world population isjust a splash in the Ocean. Give the rest of the world a break for thelove of God.

(2013-05-13 08:22:02)

Yet another Bourne-ish film

If you have watched the Bourne films you'll appreciate that theproduction team must of watched them before making this film. There aresome scenes that could of come strait from Bourne. There's even a PamLandy character to boot. It would appear that the CIA must be latestfashion in films and the CIA Headquarters in Langley must get fed up ofhelicopters taking pictures of the building from overhead! The wholefilm is shot in "wobblevision" whereby the camera is hand held or on a"unsteady cam". It does give the sense of realism as you see the filmfrom a spectators point of view or by been a room watching. It'sunusual to film in locations like the townships of South Africa whichmakes a change.The action is good and there is particularly good car chase. I justthough the lost it a tad half away though and the plot is a bit mundaneand follows the usual genre of CIA rogues v good guys.It's a good romp, but don't expect Bourne or Bond.

JoeB131

(2013-05-13 13:39:11)

About 30 minutes of plot padded with an hour and a half of car chases

The plot- A CIA bureaucrat minding an seldom used "safe house" in SouthAfrica plays host to the CIA's most notorious turncoat. Things breakbad, and the facility is attacked, leaving the minder chasing theturncoat while being chased by unknown goons who want them both dead. Abit of espinoge and who can trust who leaves you guessing until youdon't really care.Denzel is okay in this, but the action scenes were repetitive andmindless. They also wreck a bunch of cars.. so there's that.Barely worth watching once.There was also the subplot with the French girlfriend which goesnowhere and is just filler.

Rebecca Murray

(2013-05-12 21:32:34)

While Safe House does suffer from predictability, there are enough real thrills and better-than-average stunts to make it worthwhile for action fans to check out

phd_travel

(2013-05-11 22:35:56)

NOT a must see.

This is a slightly formula action thriller about a young CIA agent(Reynolds) who is unexpectedly made to handle an infamous rogue agent(Washington). As an action movie it is diverting but the plot is a bitpredictable.The camera work is shaky and jerky which isn't right for action movies.Hard to tell what was going on and it made me vomity. The action takesplace in Cape Town and the movie makers made the place look veryslummy. Might have been better if they had prettier settings thingsdidn't look so grim.The acting is okay from the leads. Denzel doesn't do much. Ryan isquite good as a newish CIA agent in over his head. Liked seeing VeraFarmiga as a CIA top woman. Brendan Gleeson was out of place.The plot isn't anything new. There are some twists and unsurprisingsurprises. Too many betrayals as well. The shock tactics like suddenloud gun shots were a bit unnecessary.The fight sequences and car chases are quite intense but not gruesome.Overall the film has a slightly ugly unpleasant feel and it doesn'thave much new to offer the genre. Missable.

Nesvrstani

(2013-05-11 04:18:36)

I did not expect it to be this good.

I'll be honest. When I saw the trailer, I was madly excited. It lookedfantastic. But then, after a while, I remembered, that the main pointof a trailer is to do just that. Hype the film, while revealingliterally all the main plot scenes and parts. I didn't know if it wasthe case with 'Safe House', since, hey, it's Denzel Washington. Thatman doesn't just do any role.I just got back from the movie theater, and am I glad that I was wrong.The movie is fantastic, electrifying. Do know that I don't just 'getoff' on any action flick. In most cases, I just watch and forget. Thiswas actually, fantastic. I don't have a single bad word to say aboutit, the way it was directed, acted or anything else. Everything wassimply fantastic.I realize my words sound absurd, and the score looks the same, but itreally is worth it. I didn't see an action movie this well written, andthis well acted in a really, really long time. Of course, by the end ofthe movie, any experienced watcher will figure out the ending byhimself, but even though you 'get it', it's still extremely fun to sitthrough and see how the pieces connect.I really hate long reviews, so I'm trying to make this one as short andsweet as possible. Lastly, have in mind that not one cast member failedhis role. Ryan was fantastic, even better then I could've imagined (anice showing of his acting skills after Green Lantern and Change-Up),and Denzel, what to say that hasn't been already said about that man'sacting. Phenomenal doesn't cut it.Go and see it. It's much better then anything else thats currently'showing'.

thesar-2

(2013-05-11 05:31:24)

Bourne is Safe

Chop, chop, how was this not directed by Tony Scott?And even though Safe House starred Scott's long-time male interest,Denzel Washington, I'm more referring to the consistent and nauseatingzoom-in's and epileptic shaky camera shots. Mercifully, Scott doesn'tmake the whole experience into a seizure, but this director, DanielEspinosa nearly shook the film right out of the camera.He's pretty wet behind the ears, so hopefully with this somewhatunsuccessful box office zturn; he'll step back with more ease in thefuture.At any rate, this Bourne-Rip-Off follows smarter-than-thou Washingtonas Ex-CIA Tobin Frost selling secrets for many years and his ownplanned capture pits him with newbie, Matt "promote me, damnit!" Weston(Ryan Reynolds) and off they go fighting killers who want a damagingfile. Oh, and the duo dead would be nice for the assassins, as well.Sadly, the CIA's tracking room – the suits who rarely get dirty, thatis, mirrored the Bourne films, but completely without energy or a solidperformance. In fact, in place of the fantastic Joan Allen from TheBourne Supremacy and Ultimatum was Vera Farmiga's underwhelming and,frankly boring role. This was sad, because of the two recent hits I'venoticed her in, Source Code and Up in the Air, I thought she wasexcellent and I even wanted to go further into her catalog. Thissetback won't completely deter me, but damn, she was bad.I only point her out, because of her past great performances. Everyoneelse, including the lead, Washington, were pretty, well, plain. Heck,even Robert Patrick underperformed and appears to have aged not sowell. The one stand out, and this surprised me, was Reynolds. Despitehis clichéd character, he did show depth and we could carry on with hisplight…again, in spite of his recycled role.Overall, the movie wasn't as terrible as I'm making it out to be; itdid have its moments. It's certainly a no-thinker and the bouncy actionwas incredibly hard to follow at times and an absolute annoyance, butfor staying in on a Thursday when you have no money until the nextday's direct deposit, it's worth a viewing. A, as in one, viewing.

Stephen Whitty

(2013-05-10 23:16:21)

Whatever its flaws, the film gives you no chance to get bored.

Roger Moore

(2013-05-09 12:16:52)

The photography and editing are state-of-the-Bourne-art exciting - breathless chases, brutal, blurry fights and unnerving shootouts.

Mark Dujsik

(2013-05-08 21:51:13)

We concentrate on its holes of logic and the unnecessary redundancies of its storytelling because, without them, the movie is habitually commonplace.