The recent film Safe House saw Denzel Washington return to a formula he has thrived in for some time, the action-thriller. It also gambled on rom-com veteran Ryan Reynolds' venture into new territory. The large question here is, does Safe House make for a good action flick? I'll break down the film after the jump.
A film such as Safe House relies so much on it's leads, that it is certainly the most important aspect of the film. Washington and Reynolds seem to be an unique match-up for the film, but oddly, the film works.
Denzel Washington is fantastic in his role of Tobin Frost, a rogue CIA operative who is now being held in Weston's (Reynold's) safe house. It seems to be the trend with films as such as Safe House, that however weak everything else is, Denzel always gives a strong performance. 2006's Deja Vu worked solely because of Denzel's compelling performance, and he is no less great in this film.
Reynold's role as the rookie in the field feels rather apt, as it is ultimately his first venture into the action genre. Thankfully and surprisingly, Reynolds is able to give a performance that is able to keep up with that of Denzel's. He able to give depth to a character that is far too often cliched, and makes the film entertaining to watch. The movie is able to balance its two leads well, and never sways in either's direction too much during it's full extent.
Unfortunately, the film falls somewhat flat when it comes to the story. Safe House spends far too much time on the run, till it finally figures out it's destination. While it is enjoyable, the story doesn't seem as if it keeps pace with the cat-and-mouse chase its two leads play. The first half of the film plays out like a modern adaption of 3:10 to Yuma, with the naive yet morally-sound rookie (Reynolds) must take in the criminal (Washington) despite both the bleakness of his mission and the mind-games thrown his way by a morally grey persona. This portion of the film plays very well off of the strong performances of it's leads. The film's plot unfortunately seems to lose sight of the oddly entertaining chemistry of the two however, and abandon it for something else entirely that is far less intriguing. While it does provide for a semi-satisfying conclusion, it's difficult to feel as if the film could have delivered more. Instead, it abandons a successful beginning for an under-whelmingly conventional finish.
The action scenes flash forward quickly, and it seems as if they attempt to move at such a fast pace that you are tricked into brilliance. It seems as if far too much of the story attempts a similar deception. Safe House is in no way a bad film, and it isn't without redeeming qualities. The performances are excellent, and at times the film is great. Two fantastic leads lay a strong foundation for Safe House, but unfortunately the glue that holds the film together isn't quite as strong as it needs to be.
