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Safe House

Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington soon realize that nowhere is safe in this high-octane action packed kicker. Young CIA agent Matt Weston isn't enjoying what he thought would be the dramatic and adrenaline fueled life of a US government secret agent, he's stuck staring at the same four walls of a safe house in South Africa everyday just begging for a chance to prove himself. Elsewhere in South Africa renegade CIA agent Tobin Frost finds himself in a deadly scenario with foreign involvements which forces him to turn himself into the protection of the US embassy. Frost is taken to Weston's safe house to be questioned and kept secure but midway through his interrogation his pursuers catch up and massacre the CIA agents. Weston finds himself alone with Frost and only one choice though unwilling to be known as the man who let Tobin Frost escape, he starts out to personally deliver frost and midst the chaos finally prove he has what it takes.

Stepping away from Rom-coms and big budget blockbusters Ryan Reynolds takes to the role of Matt Weston, while not blowing the roof of with his acting Reynolds gives the character (While strangely less than usual) that dose of charisma and charm yet adding a firm backing to Weston's struggling agent as the pressure begins to build and he realizes he's out of his depth. Denzel Washington is thrown into the hectic shoes of renegade operative Tobin Frost who's name is known collectively throughout the worlds government agencies, as such Denzel Washington gives the character the slick attitude and style as can be expected and really brings the sly double crosser to life. Though like Reynolds in some ways you expect him to be a bit more lively but the overall product gave both characters that core essence of an action thriller while stepping out of anything to complex like the structured like of the Bourne series. Brenden Gleeson and Vera Farmiga are also thrown into the stylistic and shadowed corners of the espionage world as a pair both on the hunt for Frost and Weston for the CIA.

Safe house is an action thriller, so if you're expecting your a big complex film which test your limits then chances are you shouldn't see Safe house. Though for that reason you should also see it, somewhere in all that action packed, camera swinging and blunt car chases comes a real charm. This film most likely won't win any big name awards yet it satisfies the audience it sets out to, which is why you want to see it. Reynolds and Washington don't throw you head first into a mind-boggling adventure of mistaken identity, world dominating rich baddies or some other sinister stereotypical spy thriller plot. Instead they throw you into a mundane yet still gritty and enthralling world as Weston is a man on a mission to finally step outside his four-walled world while Frost will do whatever it takes to gain his freedom. It's this that really adds to the charm of the film, both characters are human yet both have their goals it comes down to morality, justice and personal gain. In order to see what makes each man tick is what really brings the world to life and while not exploding with excellence it holds its own against the more recent action thrillers to grace the silver screen.

7  /  10

FIN.

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