Safe House
[youtube=http://youtu.be/1IfQY4fNcnw]
Tagline: No One Is Safe
The immediate award of tagline of the year (our most recent winner was Clash of the Titans for “Titans Will Clash”) goes to Safe House for No One Is Safe. Thanks for that, Hollywood.
The only way from there is up, right? Denzel Washington, who is as safe a pair of hands as possible with material such as this, and Ryan Reynolds (the Ryan they cast when Gosling isn’t available) are the leads in this action-thriller. Washington is ex-CIA, and thus contractually obligated to be a dangerous renegade, who re-emerges onto the grid after a decade on the run. But when the South African safe house he’s in is attacked by mercenaries, rookie operative Reynolds escapes with him. Be warned: chase sequences will surely ensue.
As will lukewarm reviews. “Denzel Washington is a reliable actor, giving a commanding performance, but it’s hard to see why this actioner was a hot property on a list of unproduced spec scripts,” observes Emanuel Levy. “Washington is like the aging wolf who knows all the tricks and goes easy on the cub who’s still finding his balance,” is the slightly more upbeat verdict over at Hollywood & Fine. And OK! magazine can’t help itself, bearing in mind what’s coming up next week, claiming that “You can probably find a better way to spend a pre-Valentine’s weekend night, even if you’re alone and just flipping through channels on TV.” And if you do happen to be flipping through the channels, chances are that an example of Washington in his prime will be on.
MORE: TIME’s Review of Safe House
NewsFeed’s Flicks Pick: Never let it be said that Friday Flicks doesn’t have a heart: The Vow is the clear winner, and not just because February 14 is nearly upon us. Please send all love letters to the usual address.