Review of Safe House (2012) by Paul S — 22 Nov 2012

While hardly breaking any new ground, Safe House has enough style and intrigue to keep you watching, in spite of knowing exactly how it will turn out (and hoping somehow that the script will suddenly get inventive and surprise me).

It isn't that the action isn't fun and that the chase scenes aren't interesting - for they are... and much better than the gratuitous chase scenes that fill so many an action film; and it isn't for lack of a star to make you take notice; for Denzel is at his smooth, glib best here, carrying the slick smile and easy manner that hides his no-nonsense, mess with me and I'll kill ya core.

And yet... somehow you just know that you've seen it all before... rogue agent bucks the system he used to work for, blah blah - yep, Born again Bourne (I've always wanted to print that!!!).

There is some suspense, especially dealing with Denzel's escape from the first trap, and then the subsequent attack on the safe house, but thereafter the film seems rote - and the only thing keeping you guessing is who controls the "other" force trying to get at Denzel, and is there a double agent within the CIA, and if so, who?

Funny thing though, during much of the action and set ups, I found myself asking "is this plausible?" and wondering if the motivations, or the how's and why's made sense - which I guess means that I was interested in what was going on, but that the film did not capture me to the point where I was just rolling along with the action. To the film's credit, much of what I was wondering did get explained, so there weren't a lot of "fill in the plot hole by convenience". About the only real stumble takes place around the soccer stadium - where many a weirdly garbed fan is mulling about outside the stadium... while the game is going on inside! WTF??? Wouldn't these rabid fans be in their seats inside once the contest starts?

But that blunder aside, we get to view some nice cinematography - lighting, angles, and saturation are all quality. Script wise, Denzel's lines are poetry and there is a nice bit of chicanery used to fill in some of the missing points - having the CIA chief demand intel on certain persons of interest while in the war room... of course the film then overuses it, which is just plain lazy.

In all, not a bad film, just not a really good one... entertaining to a point, and with the Denzel factor making it worth recommending... just wonder how I'd think of this without his splendid performance.