The Agency's Posts

Tonys review: Why can't Neil Patrick Harris host everything?: The engaging Harris asks: Wouldn't life be better if it were more like theater? The Tony Awards....
Read More>

Box Office: 'Madagascar 3' beats 'Prometheus' with $60.4 million: Two new 3-D films each debuted with $50 million or more at the box office this weekend,....
Read More>

Paladino Casting Workshop: PALADINO CASTING OFFERING AUDITION WORKSHOP FOR ACTORS HOW TO BOOK THE JOB !!! Casting....
Read More>

Moderation as the Sweet Spot for Exercise: For people who exercise but fret that they really should be working out more, new studies may....
Read More>

Kristen Stewart: Actress or cipher?: She's the same in everything.This is the charge you hear from people who do not like, for....
Read More>

It's a Dogs Life: Dogs are having a television moment, with three very different programs about them turning up....
Read More>

Brad Pitt kills people and then haggles over his fee: Art and commerce? “They’re not meant to get along,” said Brad Pitt,....
Read More>

'Hatfields & McCoys' makes ratings history for History Channel: The History Channel miniseries"Hatfields & McCoys"scored huge ratings Monday....
Read More>

'The Dark Knight Rises': Christian Bale on his sweaty Batsuit: Christian Balehas been done filming"The Dark Knight Rises"for quite some time now,....
Read More>

'Dallas' villains and Stetsons return on TNT: The new version will feature Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy for modern times. J.R.....
Read More>

French movie touches global audience: 'The Intouchables,' a comedy about a quadriplegic, white Parisian millionaire who hires a black....
Read More>

Hugh Laurie talks about his long goodbye to 'House': WhenHugh Lauriefirst came to Los Angeles nine years ago to star in what he assumed would be a....
Read More>
Movie review: 'Safe House'
Posted on: 02/11/12
Share/Save/Bookmark


 Is any place less safe than a safe house? In the entire lexicon of movie locations, is any setting more likely to be visited by chaos and destruction on a biblical scale? Not very likely.

So it's no surprise that the Denzel Washington-starring "Safe House" is a take-no-prisoners action extravaganza that doesn't stint on either bullets or brutal hand-to-hand combat. It also shows how much can be done with a business-as-usual CIA-thriller script when it's bolstered by effective acting and expert direction.

That directing is courtesy of Swedish filmmaker and top-drawer mayhem manipulator Daniel Espinosa, who's been one of the hottest new names in Hollywood since his last film, 2010's "Snabba Cash" ("Easy Money"), unofficially made the high-echelon studio rounds though it has yet to show itself on American theatrical screens. Even without "Snabba" as a reference point (it's been acquired by the Weinstein Co. with no firm release date set), it's easy to see what action junkie executives saw in Espinosa.

Working with the top-flight team of cinematographer Oliver Wood and editor Richard Pearson, both of whom have "Bourne Supremacy" credits, Espinosa has given "Safe House" an unmistakably stylish and unsettling tone, characterized by probing camera work, quick and edgy cutting and a fine ability to keep audiences off-balance and wondering when they'll get a chance to catch their next breath.

"Safe House" is grateful for all this pizazz because its David Guggenheim script is filled with standard-issue elements all pointing to the not exactly original notion that the intelligence community is a hotbed of corruption whose operatives eat betrayal for breakfast. Who knew?

For not the first time, locators like "Tuesday 1:53 p.m." flash on the screen as people demand "Level 4 security" and insist to scurrying underlings that they "get a team in the situation room in five minutes." Or else.

But as demonstrated by "The Help," a very different kind of standard-issue project, good acting invariably ups the effectiveness of unprepossessing material. "Safe House" has a fine cast, including costar Ryan Reynolds and potent supporting players Vera FarmigaBrendan Gleeson and Sam Shepard, but it is star Washington who sets the tone.

Though he is one of those actors who rarely sets a foot wrong no matter what the role, Washington has developed a special knack for dark-side portrayals that bring intensity and flair to films like "Training Day," "American Gangster" and this one.

Here the actor plays the especially chilly Tobin Frost, a renegade CIA operative who has spent the last nine years in activities so traitorous the man is "wanted for espionage on four continents." (Antarctica is presumably not on the list.)

With his ice-cold smile and ability to snap necks the way lesser men twist off beer caps, Frost was "the best of the best," an expert manipulator who literally wrote the book on the techniques of interrogation.

But while he's in Cape Town, South Africa, on some especially nefarious business, Frost falls afoul of a mysterious group that is so intent on doing him in that he turns himself over to a very much surprisedU.S. Embassy. Officials hurriedly consult with the CIA top brass back in Langley, Va., and then deposit Frost in the local safe house for questioning.

Ordinarily the most boring, empty place in town, the location is under the charge of decidedly junior CIA employee Matt Weston (a quietly effective Reynolds), who lies to his attractive girlfriend about his occupation while pleading with his stateside superior (Gleeson) to bring more excitement into his life. He is about to get his wish.

For that safe house, wouldn't you know it, does not exactly live up to its name. Faster than you can say "heavy weapons fire," Weston and Frost find themselves on the streets of Cape Town, lucky to be alive.

Though "Safe House" may be too violent and nihilistic for everyone's taste, it does have several crackerjack action sequences, including bone-ratting car chases and an especially atmospheric pursuit over the unstable rooftops of hardscrabble Langa Township on the outskirts of Cape Town.

Desperate to prove himself to CIA bigwigs (played by Farmiga and Shepard) back home, Weston struggles to keep control of the situation while his nominal captive, master of mind games that he is, attempts to get inside the younger man's head. If only Weston can get Frost to yet another safe house, headquarters tells him, he can write his own ticket. If only ....

kenneth.turan@latimes.com

COMMENTS
I've seen this movie twice already, and it's absolutely fantastic. In so many ways. Go and see it!
02/12/2012 5:08 am


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal