Official Synopsis:
Tobin Frost (Oscar winner Denzel Washington), one of the CIA's most dangerous traitors, resurfaces in South Africa after eluding capture for almost a decade. During his interrogation, the safe house he's being held in is attacked by brutal mercenaries forcing rookie agent, Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) to take the infamous Frost on the run. As the masterful manipulator toys with his reluctant protégé, shaking the young operative's morality and idealism, the unlikely allies must fight to stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead. Packed with intense action and thrilling suspense, Safe House takes you on a deadly ride through a covert world where no one and no place is ever safe.
Our Take:
Safe House is an action-packed powerhouse of a movie with two stars doing what they do best. Denzel Washington is all steely intensity and snake-oil charm as the films villain, while Ryan Reynolds does that slightly above-average everyguy caught up in something bigger then he is.
The film is fraught with potential flaws, but it manages to sidestep most of them. Chief among them is how a rookie CIA field agent could even hope to keep up with someone as dangerous and experienced as Washington's character. And while there are a few moments where you have to suspend your disbelief pretty handily, for the most part, the film keeps things above board. Reynolds is outclassed and outmatched by Washington, and he spends much of the film hanging on by a thread, which is how it should be.
But plot aside, this is an action film first and foremost, and it's a spectacularly violent one. This is an ACTION movie, and once the action starts, it rarely subsides. There are a few moments of character development thrown in to round out the film (and they work well), but this is a movie that's designed to get your adrenaline pumping, and it works really, really well.
Audio & Video:
The Blu-ray presents a fine audiovisual experience. The transfer is exceptional, with good shadow delineation, colors, and image clarity. The soundtrack isn't particularly subtle, but when it needs to, it kicks in with some nice low end and good use of the surrounds.
Special Features:
- Making Safe House—This featurette is filled with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
- Hand-To-Hand Action— Renowned fight choreographer Olivier Schneider (Taken) puts the actors through the intense training and rehearsal required to create the film's powerful scenes of deadly hand-to-hand combat.
- Building the Rooftop Chase—Filmed in hardscrabble Langa, Cape Town's oldest township, this riveting stunt sequence required a massive amount of precision.
- Inside The CIA—Technical advisor Luis Falcon III, a 30-year CIA veteran who has gone undercover in some of the hottest zones in the world, talks about working with the cast and collaborating with the director.
- Behind The Action—Legendary stunt coordinator Greg Powell, fight choreographer Olivier Schneider and tactical advisor Dan Hirst lead viewers through key action sequences .
- Safe Harbor: Cape Town — The creators of Safe House reveal the reasons they set this intense action thriller in Africa's multicultural hub.
- Shooting the Safe House Attack—Every detail behind the creation of the film's epic initial attack is revealed in a featurette
- Digital Copy
- Picture-in-Picture – featuring pre-visualization and storyboard comparisons of some the film's most exciting scenes.
- Journey Inside The Safe House: An exclusive Second Screen feature
Conclusion:
Safe House is an exciting, tense thriller that showcases two extremely likable actors in a non-stop barrage of action scenes. It's not quite a Die Hard-level masterpiece, but it is one heck of a ride.
RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
Video: A-
Audio: A
Extra Features: A
