Safe House
This show starts at 9:30 not 9:20 as is listed on the Internet, so I ran out of popcorn before the show started—sad, really.
Last Saturday night I needed a diversion to try to dispel the real sadness of learning about the death of Whitney Houston at age 48, and I thought that Safe House would be a good choice—it was.
In the world of lawmakers, a safe house is a place for hiding witnesses, agents or people who may be in danger. In this film, rogue CIA agent Tobin Frost, played by Denzel Washington, has been on the run for years and is being hunted by pretty much everyone. He lands in the American Consulate in South Africa and is taken to a safe house. The house keeper is Matt Weston, (Ryan Reynolds) a rookie agent whose field experience is limited.
It is into Weston’s world that Tobin comes, and the fun really starts. This is one action-packed adventure from the get-go, with more than the usual plot twists and turns.
I have to admit that I am a big spy movie fan, so getting a glimpse into the movie version of the CIA with Sam Shepard playing Harlan Whitford, a division head of the bureau, and Irish born Brendan Gleeson as David Barker, was just icing on the cake for me. Sam Shepard, is a Pulitzer Prize winner who wrote Buried Child in 1979 and also a natural actor.
Yes, you need to love spy stuff to enjoy the very real torture scene, the intense and bloody hand-to-hand fighting, the shooting and the car chases—one such chase so extreme that Washington received a black eye while shooting.
I really loved this two hours, but I do have to make a couple of observations. I just have to wonder why is there a window in a safe house. Really, do ya’ think someone might just know you’re there? And why is there always parking available for the good guys? I mean really, in front of the stadium on game night—a parking spot? Does that ever really happen?
And finally, does no one ever eat in these shows anymore? Not even a cookie is consumed by these people—48 hours of fighting, chasing and shooting and not even a meal? I speak only for myself when I say, I would not survive the spy game.
Best line: “They’ll pat your back, tell you that you did a great job and say ‘we’ll take it from here,’ and that’s when you know you’re screwed.”
This gets five reels from me—it’s no chick flick, so guys, you might want to avoid this on Valentines Day.
