Tuesday 21 February 2012

Film Review: "Safe House" (2012).


"No One Is Safe" in Safe House. This South African-American action thriller film directed by Daniel Espinosa, and written by David Guggenheim. The film centres on a young CIA agent who 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.

Guggenheim's script was featured in the 2010 Blacklist; a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year. Denzel Washington expressed interest and signed on to star. Thanks to a clause in the contract giving Washington director approval, Espinosa was hired to direct. Despite artistic differences between Espinosa and the producer Scott Stuber during filming, Espinosa couldn't be fired and was left to finish the film. Sam Worthington, Shia LaBeouf, Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy, Taylor Kitsch, Garrett Hedlund, Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hardy, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Pine were among those considered for the role of Matt Weston. Ultimately, Ryan Reynolds was cast. The film was originally set in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, but the production decided not to shoot there, due to security concerns. Filming instead took place in Capetown, South Africa; Paris, France; and Washington, District of Columbia. Washington was actually waterboarded during the filming of some of the torture scene, though only for a few seconds per take.

The film stars Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, Rubén Blades, Robert Patrick, Liam Cunningham, and Joel Kinnaman. Reynolds is an action movie revelation as the in-over-his-head CIA agent; witnessing his comeuppance as his world collapses down around him. And, yes, that is Washington, the same and reliable star of Training Day (2001) and Déjà Vu (2006). Overall, the cast, like the film is an interesting one but somewhat sterile. There is little emotion from the characters and their upcoming deadly collision is inevitable.

A Hollywood-South African actioner in which a novice CIA agent and veteran operative goes on the run, only to learn - well, all the usual things (thieves fall out, cops crash the climactic action), but in a fizzy, and somewhat multicultural way. An adequate thriller that relies entirely on the characters' motivations to drive the plot instead of the opposite. Though, the story is overcooked and the gritty aesthetic (handheld cameras, desaturated colour) borders on cliche. The hand-held camerawork may be shaky, and the editing flit furiously - but Espinosa has them shaking and flitting on purpose. Espinosa crafts some wonderfully tense sequences from conventional tropes. Certainly, an accomplished screenplay and notable performances enhance the proceedings. With pounding synthesised music on the soundtrack, the film moves like a razor-edged Frisbee that could cut off a player's hand or sever his jugular if he doesn't see what's coming. Espinosa directs with nervous energy, combining blistering action with believable, sympathetic characters; this is assured, emotionally engaging stuff. There's plenty here to show why Espinosa caught Hollywood's eye, even if this action thriller holds very few surprises.

Simon says Safe House receives:


No comments:

Post a Comment