Washington Struts His Stuff As Bourne-Type Cat And Mouse Games Unleash
By ALAN SAMUEL
Unwelcome company creates havoc for a somewhat green employee in Safe House, a savvy new thriller from Universal Films now exploding on screen at Empire Studio 12, Colossus and Cineplex Odeon Theatres around B.C.
Say the words C.I.A. and it in conjures up all sort of images. Some folks consider these spies to be the type glamorized by Sean Connery in the hit James Bond 007 movie series. Detractors of this agency see these cloak and operatives as nothing but state executioners who ply their trade under the radar. On occasion a spy does come in from the cold – or is lured to a fatal meeting by spymasters from the other side.
Man of the hour Tobin Frost turns out to be one of the C.I.A’s top men. Check that: former top agent as now Frost is a dedicated traitor to the cause – or that’s what the powers that be at Langley would like you to believe. Box office champion Denzel Washington has never looked better as the dapper killer who gets trapped when he turns himself in. Good thing for Frost that his new captor is somewhat inexperienced in housing detainees.
Vancouver acting sensation Ryan Reynolds continues to add to his resume as the rookie custodian at a C.I.A. hideout in scenic Cape Town, South Africa. Reynolds plays Matt Weston, a slightly bored but eager to please agent just waiting for something to happen. Little does he know the trouble he’s signed up for when Frost, considered one of the C.I.A.’s most wanted “former” agents gets relocated to this out of the way supposedly secure holding cell.
Political junkees who keep track of world events will know that American intelligence agencies use special “prison” like settings to hold and interrogate suspected terrorists – in real life. During Safe House we see the ins and outs of such a boarding home and the ramifications for all concerned.
Action-packed and mostly plausible, Safe House is a cracker jack action flick that’s smart and engaging throughout. Both Washington and Reynolds are superb in the captor/captive roles and the stunts and complexities are well worth taking in. For 115 minutes you don’t know what’s going to happen next though the chief villain may be “telegraphed” way too soon. Lots of fisticuffs, chases and a battle of wills helps make this Daniel Espinosa directed movie a crowd-pleaser.
