Film Review: SAFE HOUSE (2012)

Director: Daniel Espinosa
Writer: David Guggenheim
Running time: 115 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
UK Release date: 24^th February 2012

Watched on Sky+ Monday 24^th December 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I admit I’m partial to the odd espionage thriller and, on the surface of it; this one appeared to fit the bill. And for the most part, it did; there were a few niggles which I’ll get into later. For now, here’s a very brief summary.

When former CIA agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), now considered rogue, turns himself in to the US Consulate in Cape Town, he is sent to a safe house to await interrogation. This particular house is looked after by a young agent; Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). He is looking to improve his lot and when the interrogation begins the house is attacked. The interrogation team are killed but Weston escapes with Frost; who is soon trying to get into the young agent’s head. Weston contacts headquarters and his superiors; Catherine Linklater (Vera Farmiga) and David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson) tell him to bide his time while they organise an extraction team. But is Frost right, can he really trust them? I’ll leave it there or an interrogation squad will be looking for me (again).

A well made film with some nice stunt work and an awful lot of fight sequences; maybe a couple too many IMO. The performances from both Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds were pretty good, although nobody was particularly stretched. Plot-wise, I guess it was ok but it didn’t particularly do anything we haven’t seen before. If anything I found it about fifteen minutes too long, but still worth a look if you have a couple of hours spare.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED (…Just)

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 86,801 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1599348/

MetaScore: 52/100: (Based on 36 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 53/100 (based on 82 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 65/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 105,660 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/safe_house_2012/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Tobin Frost: That house was a secure location. Whoever crashed it didn't stop by a gas station and ask for directions to the nearest safe house. They were invited. Someone told them, Matthew. Think about it. Someone you know, so you better ask yourself, can you trust your landlord?
Matt Weston: Go ahead. You're not gonna get in my head.
Tobin Frost: I already am in your head. They're going to isolate you, Matt. They're going to be real nice to you at first. They're going to put their arm around you and tell you things like, "You did a decent job, son. We'll take it from here." That's when you know you're screwed. Forget about me, they're going to focus on you. They're going to try and make a connection between you and I. So that if this all goes wrong, they'll have something to fall back on in their little Senate hearings. I'm not your only enemy tonight.

Matt Weston: Are you going to kill me?
Tobin Frost: [Frost shoots the wall next to Weston's head] I only kill professionals.

[on the run, advised to follow protocol]
Matt Weston: Protocol? There is no protocol for this?

LINKS:
Trailer: