User Reviews

Decent casting and production budget aren't quite enough to budge this tense spy thriller beyond the average needle instead choosing to double down on the blue and teal shakey cam style of its day. No time to breathe, just a constant bombardment of colour, movement. A real assault on the senses if you're in the mood. There are soooo many far superior movies within this genre that it's actually a compliment to say it's a 5/10. Worth a look for fans in this genre.

Aslında potansiyeli var ama kullanamamışlar. Ortalama ve altı bir yapım. Yoklukta izlenebilir.

Fast past action movie that never really slows down to breathe that much. Denzel Washington is always a class act and elevates most movies by his sheer performance alone. Wow wee the co-star wasn't his usual annoying talkative self? He played this one serious & straight. Nice to see some range in his performances.

Got this movie for free. Kind of funny. They are **** be in a safe house. The safe house a much of a safe house though. No matter where they go they aren't safe.

A Bourne knock-off with some cool action but nothing very original or clever.

Solid performances by Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynold's and a promising story are let down by a shallow ****'s a mostly okay movie in terms of espionage thrillers but it could have been more and a bit less predictable.

Tobin Frost: "I'm already in your head". Safe House is about a house under the protection of the CIA becomes a target and it is up to the facility's house sitter to extract the criminal in hiding and take him to a secure location. Let me start off with the goods: Denzel Washington in this movie nails it as the smart guy who will mess with you mind no matter what. I feel really sorry for Ryan Reynolds for being in movies that mostly bomb at the box office or him getting slammed by critics, but in this film he did a good job, but his character in the movie was really boring. Played the normal boring guy that the movie wants us to care about but you don't. Some of the action scenes where really well done, but some of the action scenes where shot poorly. Now for the bad: The character's in the film are mostly bland or really dull to watch, but Denzel character was the only one that was interesting in the movie. As I said before about some of the action scenes. It was like they give a monkey a camera and let it shot some of the action scenes. The trailer to the movie gived away so much of the movie that predict every scene that was going to happen. Overall Safe House is a mediocre, forgettable movie with good performance in it.

Denzel Washington is one of my favorite actors, and anyone who follows him knows that he is pure intensity. For that reason, he is usually best paired with someone who is charismatic, but in this film, he's paired with Ryan Reynolds, another intense actor, leading to a very straightforward and inflexible film. Safe House is your typical C.I.A. inspired action film, that features a wanted traitor turning himself in, in order to escape the men he's doubled crossed. The names and places are different, but the story is the same, lots of fighting and corruption, traitors and double agents, it's nothing new. The intensity in Safe House is just off the charts, as there isn't one second of comic relief. The movie starts intense and just continues that way until the end, which really does an injustice to the always strong performance of Washington. The fact of the matter is that this film could have been an interesting one, had Washington and Reynolds had any chemistry whatsoever, but they were basically the same person, on opposite sides of the table. Chemistry in a film like this is really everything, even in a film like Unstoppable, another straight forward and highly predictable film, it was entertaining because of the chemistry between Washington and Chris Pine. All in all, Safe House is an average film, without much of a supporting cast. It's two hours of chases and gun battles, over the same stuff that all these other films are based on. It's a textbook example of an action movie, with nothing else. It is forgettable and isn't unique in anyway, just the same thing you've seen a million times before.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The movie is okay, but it seemed a little bit overstuffed, like it was trying too hard to be more than it is. But Denzel Washington plays a CIA agent gone rogue pretty damn well.

An exciting and well acted film. Denzel Washington gives his regular strong performance and Ryan Reynolds who is hit and miss in this case it is a solid double.

CIA agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is stuck in a dead-end position looking after a safe-house in Cape Town, South Africa. When Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought into his custody he is given an unexpected chance to prove himself to his superiors. Featuring all manner of gunfights and car chases, many of which are very well shot, and thanks to very good central performances from Reynolds and Washington everything moves along at a good pace. However after an interesting opening Safe House settles into a rather over familiar plot in which the duo attempt to keep highly sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. Many of the plot twists, including the ending, are also rather predictable meaning that, while it is more than watchable, this is not really a must see movie.

A very solid action thriller, Safe House looked a bit Bourne-esque to me, with the plot revolving around CIA, with it being corrupt. its agents betraying each other and some "social stealth action" with main characters evading baddies using crowds. Washington and Reynolds' performance is outstanding, the plot is gripping, and it's a really good movie overall.

Safe house is one of those movies no one can really hate or dearly love, but it's enjoyable none the less. With a good story and interresting characters, this makes one of the better action movies from its year.

The film provides the great acting of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds' poor talent. Although in some ways the film is entertaining, in other respects doesn' t exceed expectations. Safe House is an inconclusive film.

Good action movie. Do not expect philosophy, only pure action. Both actors played extraordinary. The story is a common one, but the actors make the film quite good.

A well made film with some nice stunt work and an awful lot of fight sequences; maybe a couple too many IMO. The performances from both Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds were pretty good, although nobody was particularly stretched. Plot-wise, I guess it was ok but it didn

A solid thriller that could have followed the same plot and just as easily been a solid comedy. Midnight Run anyone? The biggest issue I have with Safe House is also the most confusing one. Why is Denzel Washington, one of the most talented actors of his generation, wasting time on this half rate USA Network worthy CIA flick?

Can't really go wrong with a Denzel Washington movie, even one as predictable as this one (this one is exceptionally predictable). Ryan Reynolds does another decent job in a non comedic role. The plot could have been flushed out better and the story could have been more original. I think a monkey could have penned the story on this one: corrupt CIA agents double cross each other and innocent guy is caught in the middle---hope thats not a spoiler--considering i think its the theme of about 70 other movies. The director does do a great job with pacing and making the movie particularly intense. Not one you will fall asleep on. Worth the rental or two hours on HBO.

I passed on this to watch a silly movie Rango a week ago. I watched it this week and it turned out to be a decent movie but didnt make me feel bad for passing it up the week before. I geuss what Im trying to say is if you have another option don`t be afraid to go with it.

The acting was phenomenal and the fighting and action sequences were really well done. Unfortunately, there's also a plot and it was terribly cliche from beginning to end. This movie felt almost like they took the stories of all the other movies in the genre and took all of the common denominators and made the plot based off of that. I also wasn't a fan of the way the movie was edited together. The massive amount of quick cutting didn't make the movie more intense, it just made it annoying to watch. There was definitely some entertainment value here but the flaws stood out too much to really get entrenched into the story, which was pretty weak anyways.

Serviceable espionage action-thriller with a first-rate cast. It brings nothing new to the table, but it is an enjoyable ride. Denzel, as always, is enough of a reason to watch this.

Denzel Washington is a charismatic actor capable of delivering powerful performances. In Safe House he brings us yet another solid performance, however not in the class of his Training Day stunner.

Safe House is a nicely crafted action/thriller, whose style is reminiscent of the Bourne series, but ultimately the frenetic action sequences and unspectacular plot make it a mere exercise in genre rather than a stand out movie. Washington and Reynolds do fine work here, but they aren't given much chance to actually take it further than any standard star vehicle. And when the film is over, there really isn't any emotional resonance, just some feeling of exhaustion because the action scenes themselves seem uninspired and tiring, rather than exhilarating and pulse-pounding. It's not that Safe House is a bad movie. It is far from it. It is merely unspectacular.

Saw Safe House over the weekend. It wasn't a ground breaking action movie but it was still really good. I liked seeing Reynolds not as the bad ass guy with all the answers but as the rookie who had no field experience. It was fun watching him become more confident in himself and slowly getting to the same level as Denzel. Real star of the movie was South Africa though. It looked amazing. If they do a sequel I think they've set up a much more interesting plot than they had with this one.

It's not the best action movie out there, but it manages to do it's job. Keep you, the viewer, entertained for 2 hours. It's faults: A very boring first half.

Director Daniel Espinosa adds nothing new to Safe House that you haven

What a disappointment! I don't see how Denzel Washington could associate himself with such a low-quality production

Not too much to say about this one ... Predictable, shallow, regurgitated, nothing new under the sun. Borderline booooring. Yeah yeah. Denzel is good, as usual, but even that's not enough to spring life into this "been there, done that" film. It's the Jason Bourne series' little brother with down syndrome ...

Awesome Acting, Ryan Reynolds does an outstanding job is this movie. Great and realistic fighting scenes. Big Explosions! You get right into the story.

A great film. The movie will have you jumping out of your seat every 10 minutes. One of Ryan Reynolds best performances (which isn't saying much) but it was still an enjoyable performance by him. Denzel Washington has once again proved that he is one of the best actors of our generation. This movie is definitely a must see.

I love the movie safe house, and I seen this one in theaters when it first came out. I think Denzel Washington did an awesome job, as a CIA agent who went rogue, and while on the run, he had met Ryan's Character and he gave him some really great advise. He told Ryan's Character to not be so trusting in those he's working for, because they will stab him in the back and they did. This is Denzel's very best performance, ever, yes better than training day. I think when the famous Oscar's are approaching and the nominees are chosen and the movies are selected, this should be on the Oscar's number one list of best movies, and I also think no one should turn their heads away from Ryan Reynolds who also gave his best performance. If this movie isn't consider an nomination for best picture, I will never, ever, ever watch another award show forever. Especially the boring and ever so snoring Oscars. But watching those who you really want to win, will definitely living things up all together.

Yes, many of us have seen such flix before but this is somehow refreshing in its gritty authenticity. Lots and lots of fighting with several twists and turns accentuated by key 'splosions, it's a good time for guys - keep the kids and chix away.

very poor effort and I kept nodding off as the plot was poor.... also the camera work is truly awful but denzel is good as always ....... ryan reynolds not too bad either ....

Denzel Washington is one of the best actor out there. He elevates what can be considered a typical spy caper, action flick into something a bit more. But this film has been done before, and its called 'Training Day'. Once it focuses on its characters, Safe House is pretty good. But there's just too many generic action set pieces in between. Ryan Reynolds again is saved after **** many flops he's in. He's a GREAT supporting actor, but not a good leading man. Don't expect this film to rock your world or anything...

As a thriller lover i gotta say this movie really disappointed me. Nothing new . Seeing many films with same pattern was this was probably the worst. The story **** so much. It wasn't like other Denzel Washington films. I loved all his films but this one was him worst . Not his acting though . He did fine , so did Ryan . But the story and everything else just **** . Direction wasn't that good either . It seemed just like a 2 hours long Bad TV Action Drama. Expected more and it had let me down !

I loved this movie. Denzel Washington did a great job acting, but I thought Ryan Reynolds actually out-acted Denzel in this movie. It started out very fast and kept going with the action. The plot wasn't the best but it was interesting and I'd like to see a sequel. I thought that the ending could have had more of a bang, but I was satisfied at least. Good solid movie.

In some instances, having a good idea of how the movie is likely to go can be a killjoy; then, all that can make that movie watchable, if it indeed has a predictable ending, would be very good and relentless action, in the case of action thriller, or extremely interesting characters in a psychological drama. This movie is by no means the latter, but as an action thriller, the former, it does provide almost non-stop action, once the basic prologue scenes are done. Denzel Washington plays the role of Tobin Frost, a veteran intelligence operative who is wanted as a traitor by the US, since he went off the grid ten years prior. He resurfaces after getting his hands on the most incriminating bit of information, the kind that would ruin the careers of high-ups in international intelligence, including the CIA. Not since his role as Creasy, in Man on Fire? did I find myself cheering for the bad guy, who, after all, is not as bad as the system. Frost seeks refuge at a US consulate in South Africa, to dodge assassins; he is moved to a safe house where the CIA hopes to extract information from him. The minder of the safe house is Matt Weston, played by Ryan Reynolds; he was bored out of his mind until he got call into action. He has all the skill sets to be an operative and has been preparing for that. When the safe house is besieged by the same assassins, Weston is left to deal with Frost. All the while at CIA headquarters, the team that heads the safe house operations starts budding heads with other CIA sections and from that point, the story becomes rather predictable. Yet, the characters of Weston and Frost, in addition to those of Barlow, played by Brendan Gleeson, and Linklater, played by Vera Farmiga, sort of keep you interested in watching the rest of the action. The supporting cast of Farmiga, Glesson, Sam Shepard, Robert Patrick and Ruben Blades certainly adds a bankable element to the production. Washington and Reynolds do justice to their roles; their characters are compelling enough.There are no big surprises plot-wise, but it's actually that tried and true paradigm of corrupt security intelligentsia that we find comfort in seeing again in the throw of much action. Why make up a nonsensical plot when we are already sold on a given premise? I got what I expected and watched it for that reason; I'd be hard pressed to be too negative. I'll go out on a safe ledge and recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Man on Fire.

Good acting I guess. Its just that the movie **** . Its no Jason Bourne. Its not even complicated. Its weak. Amazing how even with such good actors a script like this seems to slide past everyone.

this film was something i wasn't expecting to be good but it surprised me quit a bit. the acting was good and the writing of the scrips was OK but the escaping should of been worked on and the fighting scenes to short. def give it a 7.5 but not as good as it should of been. this is short review but over all its something to see if u like watching these types of movies.

Decent story and acting, ruined by intentional technical carelessness. Shakycam is evident throughout the movie, continually reminding you that there is someone holding a camera. Film grain, of all things, is everywhere. Several scenes or actors are shot completely out of focus. This sort of hipster-esque discarding of any decent filmmaking abilities has destroyed many recent movies, this being another victim.

Pretty good movie. Action was cool. Story was solid. No real complaints. Washington was awesome as usual. No need to get into the details. See this movie if you like action, CIA, or spy movies. Acting makes the movie worth it.

Good Movie. Good Story. Good Cast. Good Action. Excellent film, not something I would see if there was another 'better' option on, but there wasn't and I enjoyed it. :)!

It was nothing special. Entertaining, for the most part. Denzel Washington's character was an interesting one, and he also played him well. I kind of saw the 'twist' coming, as I didn't expect Denzel to be the bad guy. Overall, it's an OK movie.

In the beginning it starts out as an action filled thrilling movie, but than it loses its excitement and it becomes a simple action movie which we have tons off. The good actors performance like Denzel keep the movie running and stops you from running away screaming "HELL NOOOOO!!!!". No more to say and i was still generous with the 3/10

Set in Cape Town, Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds are the two CIA operatives, past and present playing cat and mouse with each other in Daniel Espinosa's first major US film. The film was shot in location in Cape Town, and this was obviously something that Espinosa felt keen to impress on the viewer, who is reminded this perhaps once too often with stunning shots of the area. It almost felt like the location was selected for this purpose first and the plot made to fit second. Equally strong performances from both Washington and Reynolds keep the viewer engrossed throughout the film in between the hit and miss action sequences until the slightly formulaic ending. Overall a fairly routine spy thriller that ticks all the boxes without setting the world alight.

Not a masterpiece by any stretch but I enjoyed the performances of both Denzel and Reynolds. Denzel was especially good as the jaded black ops veteran gone rogue while Reynolds had the enthusiasm of youth down. The action was good but ultimately the twists were a bit predictable. All in all, a good one to catch if you have some time need a rental or stream.

If you are 20 years old and have seen 30 hot pursuit movies then this move will be fantastic. However, if you have seen 100 such movies in your life then this will be boringly formulaic. If you are wanting to see the stunning Cape Town, rather go watch a travelogue.

You donâ

According to cinemas, when spies get in trouble, they always have assortments of safe houses just waiting to be temporarily populated, free of all pursuers at least until the next scene. As Safe House would say it, instead of only a vacant house, there's actually someone watching over the house called housekeepers and not always a thrilling job. Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is an agent in charge of a safe house in Cape Town who is unsatisfied with his low ranking job. It will soon change as Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), a high value target for selling vital information is captured and brought to his secure residence. Ironically after Frost set foot in there, it's not that safe anymore as a mysterious party chases him desperately and determines to kill everyone in sight, Weston now included. Then off they go in a cataclysmic run across the town, leaving trails of bodies and broken cars. It becomes apparently and painfully clear from the start that the editing and cinematography ****, horrible even. Majority of the shots are blurry, excruciatingly dark, from odd angles and questionably shaky. I can't comprehend what's the point of the shaky cameras. If the director wanted to do rawer outlook, certainly it didn't require him to use epilepsy point of view. The same goes with the action, compared to recent Haywire which had quite similar chase scene, this one feels too forced and out of focus. The editing is a pure mess, it steals the rhythm and really takes you off the action which could be decent otherwise. Its use of color is a bit drab, which in itself is not bad considering Denzel's previous movie, Unstoppable, also had dreary look to it. But the way Safe House is presented is headache-inducing, especially in darker scenes with lots of camera changing. The cast however gives an excellent performance through out. Denzel's acting is superb, he exudes confident and experience, continuously changing from silently harsh to ice cold with charisma. Ryan is just as good, perhaps even better in some scenes. His depiction of young agent is cleverly filled with emotions. He is sort of an idealist faced with predicaments that could alter his beliefs. Sometimes he looks like he's about to fall apart, only to get back up and encounter even direr problems. Aside from these two, the rest are also great talents. Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), Brendan Gleeson (One-eyed guy In Harry Potter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), each plays CIA agen. One of them might, or might not be involved in the mess. Weston is constantly tested as he tries to figure out where his allegiance lies. Some of the lines are somewhat dull, unfortunately impede their brilliant performances. In fact, the better moments come from more quiet ones, not in the midst of loud gun shots and screeching tires. And it is unapologetically horrifically loud. Fight and chase scenes have appeal, but again the camera and editing ruin them. There are little bits of Bourne trying to squeeze its way to the surface fruitlessly. The script is predictable and story isn't that original. Regardless of poor directing and flaws, the cast manages to pull this one to an enjoyable height. 7/10