Safe House is a bit light on its conspiracy driven plot, but with all the explosions and gun fights that could possibly fit in the two-hour running time, you may not notice. Denzel Washington plays Tobin Frost a rogue agent who’s been off the grid for 10 years and suddenly pops up in South Africa. Frost is as chilly as his name, cold and reserved, and his goals and motivations remain murky through most of the film. He is a legend, the CIA version of the boogeyman, a super intelligent master manipulator with countless ways to kill a man in 30 seconds.
Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is a newbie agent, very green and eager to prove himself to his superiors. He’s also living a double life and his girlfriend has no idea what he really does. Weston has served his post in South Africa for 12 months and seen no action. He’s hungry for excitement and intrigue but gets much more than he bargained for when Frost is brought to his safe house.
Director Daniel Espinosa’s CIA has clearly not experienced any budget cuts and they have fleets of Range Rovers, BMWs and private jets to prove it. Catherine Linklater (Vera Farmiga) and David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson) are CIA operatives working from headquarters and attempting to predict and dictate the course of events in South Africa. There is a bit of tension but it feels more like a brother and sister tattling on one another to a parent, hoping their lie will be believed instead of their sibling’s version of the truth.
With the amount of spectacular gun battles, epic explosions, never-ending car chases and hand-to-hand combat, Espinosa makes Herculean efforts to introduce himself to American audiences in an unforgettable fashion. While the unrelenting pace may make you jump in your seat a few times all of the action does little to disguise the lack of a cohesive or interesting plot.
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson and Sam Shepard
Running Time: 155 minutes
