Safe House: An Exhilarating Thrill-Ride

Director Daniel Espinosa has managed to take a strong cast and script and give it the power and thrills it deserves.  While likely not the best film of the year, it is certainly a formidable entry, keeping audiences captivated by action and intrigue throughout.

Premise: A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge. Result: An exciting spy/action thriller that entertains throughout despite a slight downturn at the end

This film begins with some covert operation whose complexity is designed to not only fool pursuers, but also the audience. However, the degree of complexity here is complimented perfectly by action and suspense which make it work, as supposed double agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) shows us not only his intensity, but his precision. With the moves of Jason Bourne and the finesse of 007 (think Sean Connery, as Frost constantly swirls and tastes fine wines), Frost rampages through the screen with heart-pounding elegance. 

Abruptly, however, he surrenders to the US Embassy where he is then transported to a Safe House in Cape Town, South Africa under the protection of unseasoned agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). A team of CIA agents under the direction of Robert Keifer (Robert Patrick) attempt to extract information from Frost using various cringe-inducing water-boarding techniques.  Frost is amply prepared for this and they have no effect.  However, without notice, there is an attack on the Safe House, and a battle ensues.

As Weston attempts an escape with Frost, he is aided by David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson) and Catherine Linklater (Vera Farmiga) who appear to be rival agent supervisors vying to provide the right solution for their Deputy Secretary Harlan Whitford (Sam Shepard) via satellite. The two butt heads constantly over the right approach, and Linklater does not hold back her lack of faith in supposed novice Weston while Barlow defends his mentee. This conflict adds to the excitement, as their tension supplies the proper drama and urgency to the situation.

The rest of the film is a rollercoaster ride of spy-caper action with Weston trying to protect his house guest who is clearly manipulating him while also trying to escape unknown assassins. As the film progresses, Espinosa does a good job of managing an exciting pace while also inserting interesting twists and turns that will keep audiences guessing. 

The action sequences themselves are quite engaging, grounding the film but also consistently pressing boundaries.  There is also the sense that each battle sequence could be the end for either character, as their journey is plagued by injury and a seemingly inescapable trail of death and destruction.  Plus, it’s in South Africa, so anything goes.

Washington is incredible in his role as Tobin Frost, creating a character that is worthy of his talent while also avoiding any of the over-the-top outbursts that some of his more recent past characters have been plagued with.  Here, Washington mixes elegance and poise with a ruthless power and frightening manipulation to create a memorable and frankly exemplary character.

Reynolds for his part manages to avoid much of the camp and shtick that many of his roles require, moving headfirst into a serious action role that helps exemplify his talent rather than smother it.  Like his powerful portrayal of a trapped man in Buried, here Reynolds has cultivated a terrified agent while also making him strong and resilient.  He is believable in every scene and rather than distract without pointless comedic sarcasm, he comes off as a serious actor, and not just a pretty face (there is only one shirtless scene!)

The rest of the cast also does a strong job of supporting these two stars, keeping each scene flowing quickly and even adding value themselves.  Farmiga, who apparently can now only get roles portraying someone in government, and Gleeson are fantastic foils, delivering their characters in such ways as to always keep the audience guessing.

The end of the film is somewhat interesting, but unfortunately departs from the intriguing and unique nature of the rest of the film.  Here we have an outcome that feels a bit predictable, albeit it will take some time for the inevitable prediction to materialize. Nevertheless, there is something disjointed about it, leaving audiences wondering whether or not the creativity just suddenly ran out before the finish line.

In the end, Safe House is a strong, exhilarating spy thriller with the requisite action to twists ratio to make it entertaining.  While the film seemed to lose a bit of steam by the end, it is certainly worth watching for the rest of the film, the strong direction, pacing and performances from an all-star cast.

Rating: 7 – A refreshing Champagne that a cute bartender comp’d you!