Is it too late for Ryan Reynolds to go back to comedies? Honestly, I can never take him seriously in other roles. I don’t know if it’s his voice, or if I just find him so funny in his comic schtick. While he may have been an alright Hal Jordan (still holding out for Nathan Fillion in the inevitable reboot), Ryan Reynolds is just not an action star to me. Denzel Washington on the other hand, is a jack of all trades. Safe House chronicles Matt Weston (Reynolds) on his chase to turn Tobin Frost (Washington) into the authorities. Frost is an ex-CIA operative who has acquired classified files and has been labeled a traitor to the U.S. government. Frost is detained in a safe house where Weston acts as his guardian until the base is attacked and Frost is able to escape from Weston’s custody, and the film progresses into textbook clichés, predictable revelations, and plenty of eye-rolling from myself.
An unfortunate but abundant gimmick in action films from recent memory is the use of shaky-cam to express spectacle or urgency; I don’t mind utilizing it as a technique as long as it doesn’t become excessive. In this particular case, ungodly excessive would be an understatement. I find it funny that directors like Rob Cohen are subtler than this. A person sitting in a car giving exposition does NOT advocate the use of obnoxious camerawork trying to pass for dramatic conveyance. Say whatever you want about the Bourne Trilogy, those three films have more merit than most action films released in the last decade. Also on the technical side, this film has an obsession with focus reveals and unneeded zooms. This is the first time I have heard of Daniel Espinosa, he hasn’t been around for long and I feel like I need to donate him a tripod like he was a hobo who desperately needed a sandwich.
The story is a mess, going off in all directions, not settling on what it wants to be. The initial premise was intriguing but the strongest aspects of it are already shown in both the trailer and very beginning of the film. The script is so stale and lifeless that I give praise for Washington for actually bringing much appreciated gravitas to and otherwise forgettable role. Reynolds on the other hand is just as bland and stilted here as Sam Worthington in well... anything but Avatar. Believe it or not there are other characters woven into the narrative but they’re so forgettable they’re not worth a mention, including a generic subplot involving Weston’s girlfriend.
It’s honestly kind of hard to continue talking about a title like this. It’s so empty and run-of-the-mill it’s like trying to review a bottle of water, it’s wet, and it doesn’t have a distinctive taste to commend, it’s just water. Water is water, action schlock is action schlock. It’s not offensive, it’s just completely boring. 4.5 out of 10.
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