First things first: Safe House is not a Tony Scott film, although viewers would be forgiven for thinking that it was. With the same blend of action and cliché seen in the director’s pairings with star Denzel Washington (Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, Déjà vu, The Taking of Pelham 123 and Unstoppable), the fast-paced conspiracy thriller does its best to impersonate Scott’s output, pitting his usual leading man in an explosion, car chase and gun fight-filled game of cat and mouse. However, the familiar fare actually comes courtesy of Swedish helmer Daniel Espinosa (Easy Money), making his English-language debut. Bringing first-time feature writer Daniel Guggenheim’s script to the screen, he crafts an effort heavily indebted to Scott’s style and pacing, in a relentless and repetitive exploration of espionage and subterfuge.
CIA operative Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds, The Change-Up) acts as a housekeeper at the agency’s secure Cape Town compound. After a year of uneventful service, he’s hoping to move on to greener pastures in Paris, although his boss (Brendan Gleeson, The Guard) isn’t certain that he’s ready. When former-agent-turned-rogue-player Tobin Frost (Washington) seeks solace from assassins at the U.S. embassy, Weston’s safe house is used to detain the notorious traitor. What starts as a routine interrogation soon turns into a violent bloodbath at the hands of Frost’s pursuers, with Weston tasked with avoiding the increasing bloodshed as he escorts his duplicitous charge to a new location.
Of course, as the bulk of Scott and Washington’s collaborations have taught audiences, the actor’s status as the bad guy is far from assured. Espinosa adheres to this uncertainty by cultivating an undercurrent of responsibility versus morality that permeates his actions, ensuring the lines between right and wrong are sufficiently muddied. Accordingly, Reynolds’ innocent everyman becomes trapped in the middle, torn between his patriotism and the unlikely mentorship of his dangerous prisoner. Yet the ethical dilemma, whilst inspiring moderate interest, is merely context for the film’s excessive destructive streak.
Make no mistake; Safe House is indeed an action effort, with the feature resplendent with the quick-cut, chaotic carnage expected of the genre, as well as the predictable dramatic plotting and scant trace of character development. Given the duplicity of his role, Washington gleefully and effectively plays to his Training Day-type, disappointing only by displaying little conflict or chemistry with the surprisingly suitable Reynolds. However, the film’s flaws barely detract from the shaky-cam spectacle of continuous chase scenes, even if every element, telegraphed in advance (twists included), follows the formula. Solid but standard, Safe House may not be a Tony Scott offering, but it comes close– as evidenced by its efficient yet ultimately forgettable status.
Safe House was released in Australia on February 9th.
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Cast: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson
