Rohin Thomas

Ms. Taylor

APLAC

12 February 2012

Safe House

Safe houses are not always the safest places to hide, especially when you are a rouge CIA agent.

With its high, bloody body count, intense scenes of cat and mouse, double crossing paranoia driven government agents, blunt humor, a thrilling unpredictable plot, and last but not least two of Hollywood’s most charismatic actors  , "Safe House" fits comfortably into the modern action/spy genre while leaving audiences at the edge of their seats.

Much of this has to do with star Denzel Washington, who brings out all of his talent and charisma in this thriller. But credit is also due to co-star Ryan Reynolds, finally finding a credible dramatic action role, and Swedish director Daniel Espinosa, who directed the European action sensation "Easy Money" in 2010. The guy sure knows how to stage shootouts and car chases, which helps, since that's mostly what "Safe House" is (IMBd).

Reynolds plays Matt Weston, a young CIA operative in charge of a safe house, a place to bring prisoners or witnesses to keep them safe, in Johannesburg. He's been there a year, has had no customers and starting to fear there never will be.

That all changes with the arrival of Tobin Frost (Washington), a legendary rogue CIA agent who turns himself in to the American Consulate with a hired gang of assassins right on his heels. He's taken to the Weston’s safe house under heavy guard to be interrogated (IMBd).

But Frost has barely been tortured when a dozen of the assassins arrive and open fire on the safe house, leaving all of the men designated to protect Frost dead. Weston does the only thing he can do to protect his “guest” and that is to escape the safe house with Frost in tow.

Watching all this from afar, like in all spy movies, are the CIA honchos in Washington. There's Catherine Linklater (Vera Farmiga) and her competitor David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson) bickering back and forth beneath top gun Harlan Whitford (Sam Shepard). It soon becomes obvious that one of these three CIA agents wants Frost dead and is a double crossing agent that is associated in many spy movies (IMBd).

Why? Because Frost has acquired the file of very important information about the illegal workings of the CIA and other international agencies such as MI-6.

Weston is now ordered, in the midst of a hair-raising car chase, to hold onto Frost until help can arrive. You know, in 12 or so hours.

This is much easier said than done.

From this point on the movie takes an interesting twist. Weston loses Frost in the famous World Cup Stadium in South Africa, which initiates a large scale game of cat and mouse. With Weston chasing Frost, who is also being chased by aforementioned assassins. During this game Frost becomes almost like a mentor to Weston and also at this time the plot takes an unpredictable turn that has become necessary in almost all successful thriller or spy movies. This is where the true emotions of the movie comes out which can be seen in scenes like when Frost and Weston have heart to heart about their professional and private lives.  The two stories of Frost and Weston blend into one and the audience is kept on the edge of their seats until the end of the movie.

I would reveal more information about the plot, but I feel as if I have already said too much. The characters continue grow and in the end they almost become unrecognizable from how they were in the beginning of the movie.  In the beginning Weston and Frost had completely different goals; Frost wanting to escape and Weston trying to prevent Frost from doing so.  In the end they work for one common goal. But this goal is something you would have to find out for yourself.

As you can see this movie fulfills the criteria of an action/spy movie.  “Safe House” is a success by all means, because it not only incorporates well developed characters, but a nonstop unpredictable plot as well. If you are looking for a movie with car chases, unexpected events, and other characteristics that come from action movies, but at the same time has emotions, growth, and a diverse plot that is associated with drama movies, “Safe House” is the movie for you.

Works Cited

IMBd. Safe House (2012)-IMBd. 2012. 12 Febuary 2012 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1599348/>.