Playing it 'Safe'
Darnycya Smith, Contributing Writer|February 15, 2012
The highly anticipated action spy thriller film Safe House made its way into U.S. theaters Feb. 10. With its all-star cast, adrenaline rushing action and mind twisting plot it comes to no surprise that it grossed over $40 million in its opening weekend alone, surpassing the estimated $38 million mark.
The film starts off by entering the life of Matt Weston, who's played by Ryan Reynolds. Weston's a "house keeper" for the Central Intelligence Agency, which entitles him to babysit one of their safe houses and make sure everything is in order. Weston is trying to broaden his horizons and prove to the higher ups at the headquarters in Lanley that he has what it takes to move up the ranks and be able to handle a case assignment in Paris. But until then he's forced to bounce a tennis ball against the wall and try to find entertainment in his babysitting job in Cape Town, South Africa.
While Weston desires to be someone great, someone great desires to obtain something great. Tobin Frost, who's played by Denzel Washington, is a legendary ex-CIA agent who sold his soul not to the devil but to money. After Frost turned his back on his country almost a decade ago he started to sell military intel to each and everyone who gave him a price for it. And he had been off the grid ever since. Until he purposely walked into a U.S consulate. His arrival confuses and frustrates the government but not more than it installs undeniable fear.
Weston is notified that there's a last minute reservation for a guest room in his safe house and shortly after Frost is dragged in in handcuffed and ready to be interrogated. Alarms start to go off and a group of heavily armed mercenaries cause chaos and destruction while searching for Frost. Weston and Frost both escape alive but without the answers to who the armed men were, how did they find and crack the safe house and who sent them.
Throughout the entire film Frost tries to show Weston what kind of job he got himself into and explains to him that everyone cannot be trusted. Weston's main focus is to remain loyal to his country by trying to keep Frost alive while trying to stay alive himself.
The role of Frost was no problem for Washington to adapt to and conquer since he is known for playing similar roles. It is easy to match the similarity to the characters he played in his other films such as Training Day and Man on Fire. Reynolds on the other hand had a visible struggle being that he's use to just being a leading man in romantic comedies or a superhero. It is easy to say that Reynolds got lost in the shuffle of the thriller, making his role satisfactory but lackluster.
Safe House started with a bang and ended the same way leaving viewers' hearts pounding and minds racing trying to catch up with every twist and turn from the beginning to the end.
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