Safe House

Release Date: Feb 10, 2012 

Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.

Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Cast: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then "Safe House" has all the proverbial trimmings. In his first U.S. debut, director Daniel Espinosa stays inside the box as he navigates through another action thriller about security and corruption. Denzel Washington is back in his element as Tobin Frost, an ex-CIA operative-cum-rogue agent. Upon obtaining a classified file, he is ambushed by mercenaries and emissaries alike, thus beginning a rugged chase through the streets of Cape Town. Though Denzel's known to play the good guy well, he plays the bad even better, and it's this adeptness that keeps him consistent—not to mention giving him that long-deserved Oscar for "Training Day." And while his performance here comes nowhere close to that caliber, he still devotes his time and energy to get the job done, admitting with some help along the way. Ryan Reynolds continues to demonstrate his abilities as an actor, building atop the benchmark he established in "Buried," and displaying a vulnerability that can't be ignored. The two spark an embattled partnership that's not too far off from Hawke and Washington's affiliation in the aforementioned "Training Day." But the story itself is less than refined, adopting cues from past films that are too obvious to miss. With this, we get predictable twists and familiar characters, some of which are mostly forgotten. Even so, Espinosa packs an ample dose of action and gunfire, making it more enjoyable than the other corresponding movie, "Haywire."

Rating: 3 stars