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I'm of the opinion that out of all the movie stars and would-be movie stars in Hollywood, Denzel Washington is one of, if not THE, safest bet. I say this because I don't think I've ever met a person who dislikes the man. In a culture that is built upon strong opinions and holding to said opinions fiercely (this is the backbone of the industry in many ways), it is a remarkable feat to put together a 20+ year career like Denzel has without drawing the ire of someone or some group. Age, race, and gender seem to matter not when it comes to Denzel, whose films almost always find a way to exceed expectations whether they are magnificent (Training Day, American Gangster) or wholly lackluster (John Q, Unstoppable). There is an overriding sense among a high percentage of moviegoers that if Denzel is in, so are they. Safe House, a solid if uninspired action thriller, has proved this theory to be true. Instead of the undercover investigations and shoot outs he expected when he joined the CIA, Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) has been relegated to manning a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. He is bored and he wants some action, a desire that is all too well fulfilled at the outset of the film when former CIA agent-turned-traitor Tobin Frost (Washington) is brought to his house for interrogation. Soon after his arrival, a militant force arrives to take possession of Frost, killing the highly-trained team that brought Frost into the house. With no other option, Weston grabs Frost and makes a bolt for it, barely escaping the unknown villains who killed his comrades. With no other teams in the area, Weston's superior, David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson), tasks him with keeping Frost alive and in custody until he can be collected, a proposition which turns out to be much more difficult and complex than Weston would have ever imagined. With the assailants hot on their trail and Frost crawling deeper and deeper in Weston's head, the young agent must think fast and learn on the run before he becomes another casualty of a dirty battle that Frost has sucked him into. There are a few departures from the main storyline at work within Safe House but these distractions are only there to lengthen the film and add some uninteresting depth. This film lives and dies on the performances of Reynolds and Washington, both of whom come through beautifully. It's been a rough year for Reynolds whose star status has been thrown into serious question with the failures of Green Lantern and The Change-Up. This role, however, is a better fit for him, allowing him to share the load with an established genre veteran instead of being relied upon to carry a major film on his own. I was pleasantly surprised at his ability to give Weston more depth than what you usually get with this sort of film and I thought he hit the right balance between being a half- terrified, inexperienced field agent and being that hardened, "see this thing through to the bitter end" character that Safe House had to have. Washington, meanwhile, is a tour de force, exuding both charisma and menace in just the right amounts. Always a commanding presence on the screen no matter what his role, Washington is at his best when delivering his lines in that quiet, calm, measured manner which he has become famous for and this is a role that calls upon that ability several times. I can't say that this is one of Washington's best portrayals and it's certainly a safer choice than I'd like to see an actor of his caliber make, but it is nonetheless a reminder of exactly why just about everybody digs what this guy has been selling for two decades. Every other element of Safe House plays second fiddle to the work done by the two leads. The action is intense and somewhat gritty; when a shot is fired, you feel it as much as hear it, a characteristic I quite like in a serious action film. The plot itself is rife with generalities and clichés, making the film about as paint-by-numbers as they come. Personally, though, I didn't get caught up in these half-hearted missteps too often. Better choices could certainly be made; the major "twist" could be seen from a mile away and the conclusion was unsatisfactory for me. But given director Daniel Espinosa's relative inexperience behind the camera and the sheer power of Washington's star appeal, these are issues I found easy to overlook as the film progressed. It's nothing new and it's not a film I want to watch a dozen times over but for what it is, Safe House provides an entertaining and appealing experience.

It is so very difficult to find new material when you piece together a governmental conspiracy movie. Safe House is able to do it to a point. The greatest success of this movie is the usage of modern film techniques. Too often the bulging budget and ability to edit in effects makes action/thriller movies extremely unrealistic. Safe House does the opposite. It takes all of these techniques and uses them to make the movie raw and real.

The actors were hand-picked perfectly for their roles. Ryan Reynolds is the actor you have to use when you want to put a likable, relatable family man in a difficult situation. As a CIA operative caught up in something far outside his experience, he fits in perfectly. As for Denzel Washington, there is little that he can't do. For the unique character of Tobin Frost, there is no better man to fill the role. Together they form a storyline that merely needs to be able to stand on its own two feet. The storyline does stand on its own. That being said, it is the weakest part of the movie. The twists have all been seen before. This movie doesn't offer new plot points to the old conspiracy theory movie. It merely adds new characters. The new characters are great, but it is not enough. In order for the movie to be great, it needed to give something new to the story.

I must say that the end was beautiful. Without giving anything away, it was gracefully preformed. It wrapped up the loose ends that too many other movies simply leave hanging. It adds a whole other dimension to Ryan Reynolds' character. It will, without a doubt, leave you wanting more but somehow completely satisfied.

Safe House is worth a trip to the theatre. With thrillers such as this one, the action is better on the big screen. Between the action and the actors, you will not be disappointed. Next to Liam Neeson's The Grey, this is one of the best action movies so far this year. The thing is, it could have been even better. Too bad.

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"I'm not your only enemy tonight." Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington)

In Safe House, Tobin Frost is one cool fugitive, but then he's played by one of Hollywood's coolest actors: Denzel Washington. Guarding him is young CIA agent Matt Weston played by the prominent film actor, Ryan Reynolds. Together they make good acting possible; if only this crime adventure would let them.

Instead, their moments are mere interludes to the cacophony of guns and gore, a smorgasbord of thriller clichés planted in neat rows by director Daniel Espinosa and blossoming glass and guts ad nauseam. As the cool Frost escapes numerous captures and Weston follows him (they've discovered the "safe house" is not so safe), I wish they'd sit and talk for an hour because the older agent has much to tell the younger about love (Matt has a questioning girlfriend) and survival in the den of thieves known as espionage—global that is. Frost has a computer file with the names of bad cops, some of them friends and supervisors. So nobody's safe.

Among the vulnerable are seriously good actors like Sam Shephard, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Robert Patrick. The shame is they have parts so formulaic as to obliterate their acting excellence.

Anyway, you get the routine. The only surprise is that this type of film continues to entertain us even when we know the plot points. In part that's because we like to see good/bad guys played by the likes of Denzel work their way through some challenging puzzles and achieve some success just as we try to do in our daily lives. Also we get to see multiple car crashes without being in them, a wish we may have subconsciously when we experience road rage.

I suggest you leave your rational hat at home (most of the plot makes little sense) and wear your thrill-seeking one because this film will fulfill all your demands for excitement without touching a nerve in your left brain.

"Safe House" is an action packed thriller about a lone rookie CIA agent attempting to 'escort' his high profile prisoner back to CIA headquarters. If this brings to mind the classic films "The Gauntlet" (Clint Eastwood), "Midnight Run" (Di Nero) or even "Silence of the Lambs" (Anthony Hopkins), then you know what I'm talking about when I say "great story". Similarly the acting is fantastic; you can't go wrong with Denzel Washington who has a way of raising the bar for all actors on a production. My one big problem, as a couple other reviewers mentioned, was the jarring, unnecessarily shaky camera and rapid fire edits that upstage the power of this film.

Ryan Reynolds plays the rookie "Matt" who's basically just a housekeeper at a CIA safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. One day they bring in "Frost" (Denzel Washington) who is basically James Bond with a bad attitude. One thing leads to another, bodies pile up, and Matt finds himself attempting to bring in Frost all by himself, despite a few armies of thugs & spies hot on their trail.

What makes this film work, much like in "Silence of the Lambs" is the dynamic between the fresh faced rookie and the wise Mr. Miagi prisoner. As events unfold, we see a pupil/teacher relationship develop even though the teacher is supposedly the bad guy. Ryan Reynolds, just like Jodie Foster in Lambs, pulls this off perfectly by seeming young & inexperienced without seeming stupid. On the teacher side we have the excellent Denzel Washington who, just like Anthony Hopkins, conveys a magnetic aura of authority and control, even though he's the one in handcuffs (or in Lambs, a restraining hockey mask). Of course "Safe House" is more of a fast paced action flick than the slow psychological "Silence of the Lambs", and that leads me to my criticism.

This is just a personal opinion, but I feel like the hyper chaotic camera work and ADD edits killed a great opportunity for a powerful presentation. Note to directors: when you have a colossus like Denzel Washington in front of the camera, just tell your camera man to chill. Tell the gang in the editing room to put down the scissors. Just let the talent speak for itself.

Instead--I'm not exaggerating here--I started counting at least 1 cut every 2 seconds. And even when the camera was given more time, it would be constantly shaking, zooming in & out, darting about the room like a paranoid crack addict looking for a Starbucks caffè latte. I realize that this was a conscious stylistic choice, and definitely this chaotic style works to elevate bad productions to passable. But when your underlying material is GOOD, then why distract the audience with camera theatrics?

Ok I'm done with my opinion. Back to the facts. This is a good movie. It has a great story. These are great actors. Regardless of how you prefer your cameras & edits, it's worth checking out.

SAFE HOUSE is a South Africa-filmed action flick that inevitably finds itself heavily indebted to the whole Paul Greengrass BOURNE style in the tale of a cop and a crim who have to team up when they find themselves pursued by a ruthless and murderous gang.

What we have here is an entirely familiar film that nevertheless manages to score a few points along the way, mostly in the action stakes. For SAFE HOUSE is a fast paced, action-oriented movie that features a handful of breakneck shoot-outs, and a film that's held together for the most part by another assured role for Denzel Washington.

Washington can do these kinds of roles in his sleep by now, and it's fair to say that the character of Tobin Frost is hardly a stretch. Nevertheless, he's the best thing in the film by far, delivering a kind of laconic toughness that really works in its favour. Ryan Reynolds is, inevitably, less impressive as the forgettable younger lead, but there are a handful of decent supporting parts for the likes of Liam Cunningham, Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, and Robert Patrick.

While the plot is routine to say the least, SAFE HOUSE at least looks good and the cinematography is strong. The plot has its share of twists and turns to keep viewers engaged, and I thought the violent but inevitable climax was particularly decent. Not a great film then, but a solid one nonetheless.