Fully earning its R rating with a relentless and steely grit, “Safe House” had me involved and tense almost from the get go. Excellent use of silence and space give action sequences extra punch and presence. Its twists and turns are hampered only by being too similar to similar films (“The Departed,” or “The Town”), but still have enough of their own life to be satisfying, even if you’ve guessed who the bad guy is. The cast give it their all, with Denzel Washington, Brendan Gleeson and Vera Farmiga giving solid performances, and you’ll likely find yourself saying “Hey; that Ryan Reynolds can act!” And any scenes with either Fares Fares and Joel Kinnaman are riveting. Not for the faint of heart, “Safe House” is as much about the death of innocence as it is a first-rate action thriller, and it’s certainly a safe bet for your viewing dollar.
Overall Score for “Safe House” from Rich Bonaduce: A-
“Safe House” is rated R for strong violence throughout and some language.
115 Minutes
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Written by: David Guggenheim
